


To Gain a Crown

by just-a-pleb-les (Phoenix314)



Series: Crowned with the Stars [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No City of Light (The 100), Clexa, Clexa endgame later, F/F, F/M, Promise, Slow Burn, Sort of AU, f/f eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2018-09-18 23:01:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9406790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix314/pseuds/just-a-pleb-les
Summary: Clarke and Wells are fifteen when two terrorists kidnap and force them into an escape pod bound for Earth as a way to punish their parents for the death of their loved ones. Once it becomes clear that Earth is not only survivable, but is populated by different civilizations, they must learn to navigate a foreign land, hoping to possibly contact the Ark. Amidst the fear and confusion of being far from home in this new world, Clarke learns of a plot that not only endangers those on Earth, but also her own people on the Ark. She must build alliances, learn to trust enemies, and risk betrayal if she wants to save her people.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Warning One: slow af Clexa burn. Lexa is introduced very quickly, but Clexa as a romantic relationship will not happen for quite some time. I plan for this to possibly be a trilogy and they might not fully enter a romantic relationship until the second fic. This first one focuses on a different version of the show and how Clarke would deal with the Mountain Men if it were just her and Wells on the ground. 
> 
> Warning Two: While Clexa is definitely, 100% endgame (with both surviving the end of this story), Clarke will go through one or two relationships/partners that are not Lexa. Being the space bisexual that she is, there will be women and men in her life. I won’t be posting any graphic sex scenes (sorry smut lovers) with either gender, but there will be some intimate moments described between her male and female lovers. As a lesbian, it’s been years since I’ve had any kind of intimate contact with a man, but I’ll try my best to make it accurate.
> 
> Warning Three: Violence will be liberally described in these fics.
> 
> PS, Possibly working on a new title, but this will be it for now.
> 
> Thanks, loves.

“To gain a crown by fighting is great, to reject it is divine.”

   —Friedrich von Schiller

 

Chapter One

 

The feeling of cold steel pressed against her jugular and her body instinctively froze. The fear coursing through her caused her heart to pound so wildly, she dreaded that the pulsing vein would unintentionally force the knife to pierce the thin layer of skin that protected her from bleeding out in seconds. Her eyes, wide with fright and panic, searched for a familiar, similar pair in the crowd just twenty feet before her.

  
“Please, don’t do this,” Abby Griffin begged, locking eyes with the man holding a knife to her child’s throat. “She’s just a little girl. She has nothing to do with this!”  
The man behind her growled in anger at the woman’s words, his hold on the fifteen year old tightening even more. The six guards who had their weapons trained on them gripped their guns harder at the movement.

  
“We can come to a peaceful solution, if only you release the children,” Thelonious Jaha spoke, hoping his calm, slow voice would help soothe the fear and anger of the men holding his and Abby’s children.

  
“More like we’re just going to get floated, just like my wife,” yelled the man next to Clarke Griffin, his own victim wincing as he was jostled against the gun that was being held to his head. Clarke wanted to whisper words to help stifle Wells Jaha’s fears, but her own terror nearly made her choke on her words. “Tell me, Jaha,” the man holding Wells continued, “is that what you told my wife before you killed her? That her death was a peaceful solution?”

  
“I understand you are angry and hurting, but harming two innocent children isn’t going to help you out of this situation nor ease your pain,” Abby argued.

  
“The only way you’ll understand is if you lose someone you love to the void like we did!” the man behind Clarke countered. Clarke’s heart, which had been hammering ever since she had been kidnapped by the two terrorists just moments ago, felt like it had stopped beating all together at his words.

  
_Is he going to float us?_ she thought, her blood turning cold at the thought.

  
“Is this what your wife would have wanted from you? Would she wish that you remembered her by killing children?” Jaha asked.

  
“All that my wife wanted was some medicine to help our little girl!” the man screamed, pain lacing every word. “But she was forced to steal it since we had already used up her medicinal rations. Before she could give it to our daughter, she was caught and floated. Just days later, my five year old, Aubrey, was gone, killed by the sickness my wife died to trying to stop.”

“No more talk. It’s time, Ray,” the man holding Clarke said, glancing at his watch. The two men slowly began backing up.

  
“Anybody over there so much as twitches and I put a bullet in the head of the son of the Chancellor!” Ray called out.

  
“Please, we can help. Just give us a chance,” Jaha pleaded.

  
“Ignore him, Quinn. We either die from the bullets or from floating. At least this way, we could possibly have a chance,” Ray whispered. Clarke became even more confused.

  
_What do they mean this way? What way?_ she asked herself. Ray hit a button that opened the doors to a pod.

  
“What are you doing?” Abby cried out, horror filling her features as she realized what the men were planning.

  
The closed the doors again and destroyed the locking mechanism, trapping the four of them in the small escape pod. Quinn threw Clarke on the ground where Wells was when Ray forced him down. Quinn then pressed the intercom button and grinned manically at Jaha and Abby.

  
“May we never meet again,” he said, then turned away from the crowd. “We need to hurry, Ray. Get the kids strapped in, I’ll get us going before they find a way to open the doors.”

  
“Why bother? The landing will kill them if they’re not tied down,” Ray questioned.

  
“So they don’t do anything stupid during the descent. Even if the radiation kills us, at least we’ll be able to see the ground rather than lying on the floor with a bullet in our heads before that happens,” Quinn answered. Ray grunted in agreement and pointed the gun at Clarke.

  
“All right, kid, slowly get into the seat and strap yourself in. Try anything and Griffin here will be dead before you could even blink,” Ray instructed Wells. The teenage boy reluctantly agreed and slowly made his way to one of the seats in the pod. “Now, cross your harms and tighten the straps with your teeth. I don’t want you to be able to get out now, would I?”

  
Once Wells was finished, Ray forced Clarke to do the same. Once they were secure, Clarke turned her piercing blue eyes to the warm brown ones of her best friend.  
“Wells, we’re going to the ground; suicide by Earth,” she whispered.

  
“I know, but why? Why kill themselves?” Wells asked.

  
“It’s not our deaths that matters, kiddos,” Quinn replied with an evil smirk. “We want your parents to feel the pain we feel. You two are just convenient targets; collateral damage in a war against a tyrannical system.”

  
“Don’t bother, Quinn. These silver spooners won’t understand and we don’t need them to,” Ray replied. He had just finished punching in the last command into the pod’s computer. “All right, strap in, my brother. We’re ready.”

  
Clarke began to tear up at what she realized was about to happen. Her mom wouldn’t be able to save her—Wells’ dad wouldn’t be able to save them.  
“Wells…” she whimpered as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

  
“I’m here, Clarke. I’m right here with you,” he whispered to his dearest friend. He cursed his captors for his restraints; he would give anything to hold Clarke and attempt to comfort her. He locked eyes with her, trying to soothe her, even a little bit.

  
The pod jostled violently and Clarke heard the telltale signs of it being released from the station air lock. She turned to the door, desperate to see her mother one last time. Abby was sobbing in Jaha’s arms; the Chancellor looked to be in absolute shock. Clarke refused to look away from her mother’s eyes even as the pod slowly broke away from the station. Her mother would be all alone; they were all each other had after her father died of a heart attack four years prior. Clarke cried out when she lost sight of Abby as they began hurtling towards the Earth.

  
“Wells!” she yelled over the roar of entering the atmosphere. “I’m scared.”

  
“Me, too, Clarke,” he confessed. Their eyes met and Clarke saw that he was crying as well. “May we meet again,” he choked out. Clarke could barely contain a sob to reply.  
“May we meet again,” she said.

  
Just a few minutes later, minutes that Clarke would later swear lasted hours and seconds at the same time, the last thing she remembers before blackness consumed her is the sound of the pod impacting the Earth and an explosion of pain in her head.

* * *

 

“Clarke! Clarke! Come on, wake up.”

  
Clarke heard a distant voice echoing in her mind, urging her into consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes and then felt the throbbing pain in her head right above her left ear. She reached up to touch her head and pulled her hand back to find blood coating her fingertips.

  
“Clarke, are you okay?” came the voice again. Clarke looked around and saw Wells looking down at her with dark, worried eyes.

  
“Wells? What’s going on?” Clarke asked, her mind and vision were fuzzy. She attempted to remember what had just happened, but thinking only made her head sear with pain.  
“I think you might have a concussion. The bleeding’s not too bad, though,” Wells observed. “Clarke, we’re on the ground. Do you remember coming down here?”

  
Clarke closed her eyes and tried again. Slowly, through the pain, she remembered the terrifying descent to the Earth and suddenly everything had gone dark.  
“I do. We were kidnapped and came down in an escape pod,” Clarke stated slowly as she opened her eyes. Her vision was clearer and she moved her head slightly to look around. What she saw made her gasp.

  
Green; green everywhere around her. The moon shone down brightly, lighting up the valley they had landed in. Green was the grass that she was laying on; green were the trees that made up a nearby forest. Then the scent of the Earth hit her and filled her entire being. She knew what plants smelled like from the Ark’s Farm Station, but it paled in comparison to the source. The Ark diluted the smell with the scent of metal and machinery. This was pure, unpolluted earth that sent Clarke’s head spinning.

  
Clarke forced herself to sit up and take in her incredible surroundings. Her breath stuttered as she felt the cool breeze flow around them, causing her to instinctively inhale deeply. She looked down at the ground beneath her body and ran her hands through the grass. It was soft and rough at the same time. She dug her fingers into the soil beneath the green and felt the earth stick beneath her fingernails. It felt cool to the touch and slightly wet, as if it had been recently watered.

  
It was like she had been blind her whole life—never understanding what true beauty looked like—and suddenly she was thrust into a world full of color and life and splendor. It reminded her of an Old World book she read for school, _Frankenstein_. In it, the Victor Frankenstein takes in the magnificent vista from the summit on top of a mountain. The words came to Clarke so easily as she recalled how Mary Shelley described the view: “it had then filled me with a sublime ecstasy, that gave wings to the soul, and allowed it to soar from the obscure world towards light and joy.”

  
Clarke was feeling that ecstasy now and began laughing as pure, unbridled joy filled her as she lay upon the ground that her ancestors lived on. She turned to Wells, who was giving her a grin of childlike in wonder and happiness, and they reveled in the experience of feeling the ground beneath them for the first time.

  
Only to be interrupted by a sound coming from the forest.

  
“What was that?” Clarke asked, gazing towards the trees nearby.

  
“I’m not sure. The two assholes that kidnapped us left as soon as they realized radiation didn’t instantly kill them. Maybe it’s them?” Wells suggested, fear of the unknown quickly taking over the joy that had filled his features.

  
Clarke tried to stand in case they needed to run, but nearly blacked out from the pain in her head and dizziness that filled her vision.

  
“Clarke, you shouldn’t be standing. You hit your head really hard,” Wells said, catching her before she fell.

  
Clarke was about to answer when suddenly a sight she couldn’t believe burst from the forest as fifteen horses were galloping towards them…with riders on top of them.  
“Wells!” Clarke cried out, the thundering of hooves filling their ears. “It’s people!”

  
Wells looked too shocked to speak. Clarke knew they would never be able to run from the speeding horses, especially not with her concussion. She stared open mouth as the people on the horses stopped and towered over them.

  
They were all dressed in black with swords and spears in their hands. Their clothes were clearly handmade and extremely worn. They were adorned with makeshift armor; some even had masks with skulls on them, and strange markings on their skin. The moon cast menacing shadows over their harsh features and Clarke could only think of how primal and violent these people seemed. Fear—fear stronger than what she felt on the fall to the ground or when her kidnapper had a knife to her throat—filled her entire being.  
One rider directed her horse forward until she was able to unsheathe her weapon and hold it out directly at Clarke. The rest of these fearsome warriors held weapons similar to the dark skinned rider—spears, axes, swords, and even one that resembled a mace. Clarke’s eyes snapped back to the rider in front of her and Wells as the woman spoke in a harsh language that the two teenagers did not understand.

  
“What?” Clarke asked instinctually, surprised her voice didn’t waver from fear and shock that was coursing through her veins. In the moonlight bathing the field they had landed in, Clarke saw the woman’s already ferocious features turn vicious at the blonde’s question. The woman barked out orders in the foreign language and four riders immediately dismounted and headed towards the teenagers with their weapons drawn. Clarke instinctively put herself between the warriors and Wells, but she knew it was pointless. They were surrounded, outnumbered, and without any way to defend themselves.

  
“Please, we mean you no harm,” Clarke cried out, but they either didn’t understand or refused to listen to her. They grabbed Clarke by the collar of her shirt and ripped her away from Wells.

“Clarke!” her best friend yelled and attempted to throw off his assaulter, stopping only when they knocked him out cold with the end of their sword.

  
“Wells!” Clarke gasped, but didn’t get the chance to check on him as she felt her head explode in agony before everything, for the second time that night, went black.

* * *

 

Voices and the sound of metal clanking thrummed through Clarke’s aching head as she slipped in and out of consciousness. She heard her name a few times, but it was not enough to awake her fully. When she finally did open her eyes, the blonde groaned as the light from a flickering flame caused pain to sear through her skull.

  
“Clarke!” came a thankful voice. The teenager opened her eyes fully and saw Wells looking at her, relief flooding his features. “Thank God you’re awake. How are you feeling?”  
Clarke saw that they were sitting on a hard floor with straw and dust everywhere, but what was most noticeable were the chains around their wrists and ankles connected to the one of the four cement walls surrounding them. A small, yet sturdy gate locked them in the room.

  
“I’ll be fine. Where are we?” Clarke asked, her voice scratchy and her throat begged for water.

  
“I’m not sure. They blindfolded me, but I think we’re in some sort of village,” Wells answered.

  
“A village?” the blonde replied. “How is there a village? How are there people?”

  
“I’m not sure, but neither of us has died from radiation poisoning and these people seem healthy enough,” Wells stated. “It looks like the ground is survivable.”

  
“How is that possible? It’s not supposed to be safe for another two hundred years,” Clarke said.

  
“I don’t know, Clarke.”

  
The teenage girl pushed the thoughts of impossibilities out of her head—they were doing them no good now.

  
“It doesn’t matter at the moment,” Clarke said. “Have they come to see us? Explained why they locked us up?”

  
“Not yet. I haven’t seen anyone and I’m not sure if they speak English. They talk to each other in a language I’ve never heard before.”

  
Silence descended upon the two best friends, both fearful of their situation and of the people holding them captive. Several minutes passed by and Clarke was trying to keep calm to not aggravate what she was sure was a concussion, but her attempt at peace was broken by voices from outside their cell. Unable to understand the foreign words, Clarke still shifted her body to try and see down the darkened corridor. Three people emerged from the hallway and opened the cell. Clarke vaguely recognized the woman as the leader of the group of riders who captured them; the other was a bear of a man who was easily stood a full foot taller than Clarke with intimidating tattoos on his face and a fierce look in his eyes. Standing in front of both of them was a young woman who couldn’t have been more than twenty years old, only five years older than Clarke, but something about her oozed authority and her green eyes—green eyes whose color reminded Clarke of the field she had rejoiced in seeing—were hardened with suspicion and caution. She was dressed in all black, just as her companions, but she wore a red sash hung from a shoulder paladin across her torso. A large dagger hung from a sheath on her thigh and the hilt of a sword was peaking from behind her back. While the other woman and the man were menacing in their own right, Clarke instantly knew that it was this young woman who was in charge.

  
Calculating green eyes stared into the frightened brown and blue eyes of the two prisoners, before the woman opened her mouth and spoke in the same harsh language Clarke had heard in the field. Clarke and Wells looked at each other; Wells gave the slightest shrug and shake of his head. The blonde returned to the one who spoke and licked her dry lips.

  
“I’m sorry, but we don’t understand what you’re saying,” Clarke stated, surprised again at how steady her voice was in such a frightening situation. She wasn’t sure if they understood her, but the green eyes were suddenly filled with fire at Clarke’s words and it took all of Clarke’s strength to not shrink or wince at the fury on the woman’s sharp features.

  
“So, what my people tell me is true. You speak the language of the Mountain Men,” the woman spoke in perfect, formal English. Clarke couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her lips at the understandable words coming from her. “Tell me, how is that you were able to leave your fortress without your suits? And what is that contraption you used to invade my lands?”

Clarke stared at the young woman, completely lost.

  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. We don’t know anything about Mountain Men or fortresses,” Clarke replied. “We had no idea people even lived down here.”

  
“Down here?” the woman asked, her face not showing the smallest emotion, but fire still burned her forest green eyes.

  
“I told you, _Heda_ , they fell from the sky,” the dark skinned woman said, but did not continue as the woman— _Heda_?—held up a hand to silence her.

  
“What she said is true,” Clarke insisted.

  
“You expect me to believe that two children fell from the heavens and happen to speak the language that the enemy of my people speaks?” she asked. Clarke was growing frustrated with her confusion and this woman was not helping matters. She move from her sitting position and attempted to stand, but the large man and dark skinned woman rushed in front of the _Heda_ with their swords pulled and aimed at Clarke. The blonde immediately raised her hands, showing she meant no harm.

  
“I’m chained to a wall and I have no weapons,” Clarke pointed out, trying her best to keep any kind of sass from slipping into her tone.

  
“Indra, Gustus, at ease. I am perfectly safe,” the woman commanded. The two warriors immediately backed away, but kept their hands on their weapons. Clarke stood until her blue eyes were level with green ones.

  
“I think we’ve started on the wrong foot,” Clarke stated. “My name is Clarke Griffin. This is Wells Jaha.” The woman did not say anything and Clarke swallowed down her nerves. “Can I know your name?”

  
“Watch yourself, Sky Girl. You are speaking to the Commander of the Twelve Clans; you will show her the respect she is due,” the woman—Indra, Clarke remembered—hissed as she took a step forward.

  
“ _Shof op_ , Indra,” this Commander said, her tone almost bored as her eyes remained on Clarke.

  
“Commander of the Twelve Clans,” Clarke said. She let out a nervous chuckle, “that sounds like a pretty important job.” Clarke swears she saw the Commander’s lips twitch in amusement ever so slightly.

  
“My name is _Lexa kom Trikru_ ,” the Commander stated.

  
“Lexa, I swear to you, I am telling the truth. We came from space,” Clarke said. Lexa’s eyes narrowed, clearly unsure of what Clarke was talking about. The blonde sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, regretting as she rubbed one of the places she had hit her head. Ignoring the pain, she looked back at the Commander. “Don’t you know about the Space Stations?” Silence and the look of puzzlement remained in place from Lexa. “The Ark?” Still no reaction. Clarke was running out of ideas. It seemed as if these people were as in the dark about her people as hers were about them. “What about the bombs that went off one hundred years ago?”

  
“Of course we know about them. Everyone knows about them,” Lexa stated, clearly frustrated with where this conversation was going.

  
“Before they went off, there were people living in these stations that orbited the Earth. Our ancestors watched in horror as the world was decimated by nuclear bombs,” Clarke explained and saw as Lexa raised one elegant eyebrow, but remained otherwise unmoved. “They believe it isn’t safe down here because of the radiation. So we’ve been living up there for the past century and plan on waiting two hundred more years before returning to the ground. Our people have no idea that anyone survived the bombs, let alone the subsequent radiation. When we landed in that field and saw those riders, Wells and I were absolutely shocked. We know nothing about you, your people, or these Mountain Men.”

  
“You can’t possibly believe what she’s saying, Commander. It is absolutely ridiculous,” Indra asked incredulously. Lexa didn’t reply, but simply bored her eyes into Clarke’s and the blonde felt as if the brunette was staring into her soul to determine if she was speaking the truth.

  
“Your story makes no sense,” Lexa declared. Indra looked satisfied and Clarke was dismayed that the Commander didn’t believe her. “If you and your people believe the ground to be too dangerous to return to, why did you two come down here?”

  
“We were forced,” Wells explained. “We were kidnapped and those responsible put us in that pod and sent us down here with them.”  
“There are more of you?” Lexa asked quickly.

  
“Yes. Two men.”

  
Lexa turned to Indra and spoke in their harsh language. After a brief exchange, Indra saluted her leader and left without a single glance in Clarke or Wells’ direction.  
“Where is she going?” Clarke demanded. She saw Lexa’s jaw clench in frustration at the blatant disrespect the blonde was showing her.

  
“To find the two men you claim came down with you.”

  
“It’s more like we came down with them. We were not willing passengers,” Wells pointed out.

  
“Why would they kidnap you on what they believed was a suicide mission? What is the motive for killing two children?” the Commander asked.

  
“Because of our parents,” Wells replied.

  
“Wells,” Clarke hissed. She was fine with giving this woman vague answers on where they came from, but giving specifics of their identities to a powerful and dangerous stranger seemed like a bad idea.

  
“Come on, Clarke. What are they going to do, ransom us? They use horses and swords. I doubt they have any kind of technology to contact our people to make such demands,” Wells stated, his eyes raking up and down the clearly handmade armor and clothing the two strangers wore. Clarke wanted to punch Wells for insulting their captors and glanced at the Commander to gauge how offended she was. Lexa’s expression remained neutral, giving away no indications of anger or insult.

  
“Why would I ransom you? Are you from important families?” she questioned. Clarke clenched her jaw as her heart lurched painfully at the thought of her mother. There was no hope that her only family left, her only child, was alive. Wells, however, spoke for them.

  
“My father is the leader of our people. Clarke’s mother is our chief doctor and on my father’s council,” he answered. At the mention of who Clarke’s mother was, forest green eyes snapped to sky blue ones. Clarke was almost startled at how intense Lexa’s expression became.

  
“Your mother is a healer?” Lexa asked, taking a step forward towards Clarke, who almost stepped back instinctively, but she forced herself to remain where she was. She couldn’t show any fear or feel intimidated by this woman.

  
“Yes,” Clarke answered.

  
“Did she teach you anything about medicine?” Lexa questioned with the same intensity. Clarke nodded.

  
“A great deal. The plan was to groom me to replace her once I was old enough to officially begin training. She’d been unofficially training me for five years,” the blonde replied.  
Lexa stared into Clarke’s eyes for what felt like minutes to the teenager. She could tell that the Commander wanted something from her, but was debating whether or not she should ask. After several long moments of silence, the brunette had clearly come to a decision.

  
“Our own healer is at a village three leagues from here dealing with a bout of sickness that has broken out there,” Lexa suddenly stated. Clarke raised an eyebrow, silently prodding the Commander to continue. “His apprentice is still quite young and therefore had to go with him as part of his training. That has left this village without a healer.”  
At that moment, Gustus took a half a step forward as well, his eyes never leaving the two teenagers. He spoke in their native language, appearing to understand where his leader was going with her statements. The Commander silenced him with a few harsh words and returned her attention to Clarke.

  
“One of the Tondc’s best hunters was injured this morning on a hunt—one of the new hunters accidentally put an arrow through his leg,” the Commander stated matter-of-fact. “Whether he succumbs to his injury or become handicapped by it, he will be unable to teach the younger generation of hunters and their food stores for winter will be significantly lower once the snows begin to fall. He must be attended to soon or this village may lose many of their people in a few moons.”

  
Clarke took a few seconds to process what she had just been told and it quickly became clear why the brunette was telling her about a man she had never met being injured.  
“You want me to take a look at him,” the blonde remarked.

  
Lexa nodded once in confirmation. Clarke took a deep breath and looked at Wells. The teenage boy looked back and forth between Lexa and Clarke a few times, but ended up shrugging at his best friend, unsure as to how to respond. The younger woman turned back to see green eyes waiting patiently for her reply.

  
“I’ve never even seen an arrow wound, let alone a tried to heal one,” Clarke warned the Commander. Lexa looked like she was going to speak, but Clarke continued on before the older woman could utter word. “But I am willing to look at it and do the best I can.”

  
“We would be grateful,” Lexa stated flatly, as if they were discussing the weather.

  
“Wells and I would like something in return for helping you,” Clarke said quickly. Lexa quirked an eyebrow at the teenager, but she didn’t seem too surprised. “We have answered your questions, am willing to help one of your wounded, and done nothing to harm you or your people. If I agree to take a look at this hunter, you must agree to release us.”

  
Lexa’s jaw clenched and unclenched a few times as she stared into stubborn blue eyes. Clarke could see the cogs in her mind working as she thought over Clarke’s demand.  
“I will agree to your proposition,” Lexa said after several tense moments.

  
“Commander, I must insist otherwise,” Gustus cried out. “I do not trust these Sky People.”

  
Lexa gave the large man a glare that would send the bravest person running in the opposite direction—her green eyes mirrored what Clarke imaged a forest fire looked like. The Commander did not respond to Gustus, but the bearded man’s eyes slightly widened at being on the receiving end of such a look and immediately backed away. Clarke felt the inside of her chest begin to prickle in equal parts fear and fascination.

  
_This man could easily rip this woman apart. How is she able to inspire such fear from such a formidable being?_ Clarke asked herself.

  
Lexa then turned her eyes back to Clarke, the blaze in her eyes extinguished, as if they had not been interrupted.

  
“I will agree to your request, but I have a few caveats,” she said, her tone even and business like. In the back of her mind, Clarke wondered where she learned to use such a formal way of speaking English. “You will not return to the cell, nor will you be chained up, but I cannot permit you to leave the village.” Wells moved to voice his protests, but Clarke quieted him, wanting to hear what else Lexa wanted before replying. “Also, you will be under guard at all times. This is for your safety as well as the people who reside in our village.”

  
“Our safety? What do we need protection from?” Wells demanded. Lexa’s eyes sparked as she heard the rude tone.

  
“You look and speak like the Mountain Men. We have been enemies with them for several generations—many people here have lost their husbands, wives, and children at the hands of the Mountain Men,” Lexa explained. “My people follow my laws and commands, but even I cannot always control how a grieving parent will react to someone who looks like the people who killed their children.”

  
Wells deflated a bit at her reasoning, but still seemed skeptical towards the Commander.

  
“You said we won’t return to this cell. Where would we stay since we aren’t allowed to leave the village?” Clarke asked.

  
“Tondc is quite a large trading hub as well as the capital of this region. There are a few huts available for rent for those who are from out of town. You both will be fed and housed there for the time being,” Lexa answered.

  
Clarke turned over everything in her head, believing the offer and caveats to be reasonable.

  
“Very well, I agree,” the blonde stated, then held out her hand. Lexa stepped forward and, instead of taking her hand like Clarke had thought she would, she grabbed Clarke’s forearm. Clarke hesitated for a moment before closing her own fingers around the Commander’s own forearm. The contact only lasted for a moment, but Clarke could see the smallest seed of respect being planted in the Commander’s mind for the teenager.

  
Once Lexa let go and stepped back, she called out to the guard outside the cell in the strange language and she immediately opened the door and moved to unlock the chains on Clarke and Wells’ arms and legs.

  
“Come, I will take you to Marek,” Lexa stated and turned to walk out, Gustus following behind her like an ever present shadow. The guards waited for the two teenagers to exit the cell before trailing behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this far. Please leave a comment or kudos if you liked this story and hopefully ya'll will like it enough for me to continue writing/posting it. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note One: Ya’ll…I’m not a doctor or received any medical training beyond knowing CPR. I looked this up on the internet.
> 
> Note Two: These next few chapters may seem slow going, but I ask you to trust me, loves. Once the action starts it’s going to be explosive. I pretty much know exactly how this series is going to go (so far, anyways). As in, I already have the first seven chapters of the third story written. 
> 
> Note Three: Thanks for the patience and the kudos/comments.

Chapter Two

Clarke wasn’t sure how much time had passed since her and Wells had landed in the field and the windowless cell had not given any indication as to what time it was. So it was a shock to Clarke’s body to suddenly be exposed to so much sunlight and natural warmth that her senses were incredibly overwhelmed. She gasped at how bright it was and immediately screwed her eyes shut. The light sent pain through her concussed head, but soon the discomfort passed and she slowly blinked her eyes, trying to adjust to the sunlit outdoors. She risked a glance at Wells and he seemed to be in same position she was.

After several moments, she was able to open her eyes fully without any throbbing and she stopped breathing at what she saw. Surrounding her was a bustling village filled with people and buildings and things that Clarke didn’t have a name for. There was so much green and brown and flashes of metal. There was a cacophony of noise—people talking, laughing, and yelling; animals were baying, neighing, and barking. The blonde teenager tried to take in everything, but it was impossible. Even in the busiest sections of the Ark couldn’t hope to be this chaotic and alive and open.

“Clarke,” gasped Wells’ voice next to her. She glanced over and saw that his eyes looking up. Clarke mirrored him and she let out a strangled gasp at the sight above her. Blue. The most beautiful color blue she’s ever seen painted the sky as far as she could see. It was a cloudless, expansive vista of blue. She felt tears prickle her eyes as she took in the vast beauty that enveloped the Earth.

A voice broke through Clarke’s reverie—an extremely rude interruption of what was perhaps one of the most beautiful moments of her brief existence. She reluctantly tore her eyes from the sky and looked into the confused green eyes of the Commander.

“Sorry?”

“What are you doing?” Lexa asked, her brow furrowed in puzzlement at what the teenagers were doing.

“The sky!” Clarke exclaimed with a grin so wide, she was sure it threatened to break her face. The Commander glanced at the sky and then back at the blonde, her confusion only deepening.

“What about it?” she asked.

“It’s…wonderful,” Wells whispered reverently, the sun reflecting off the sheen in his eyes as tears threatened to spill from them. Clarke laughed at how incredibly understated his description was, but was unable to think of any other word. No matter what materials she used or how long she given, Clarke knew she’d never be able to recreate the way the different shades of the green leaves on the trees as they gently swayed against backdrop of the solid wall of blue that enveloped the planet she had spent her whole life looking down on.

“I really must insist that we keep moving,” came the same voice, interrupting her thought process on what colors she could blend to match the azure spread above them. She met green eyes that matched the beauty around them, but Clarke only scowled at the disturbance. “Follow me. Marek is this way,” Lexa said, the command laced in her words. Clarke knew they shouldn’t push the Commander’s patience, but how could she think of anything else besides the splendor that surrounded them.

“Sorry, Lexa,” Clarke said, grabbing Wells’ arm as they began moving through the village.

The blonde was sure she was going to sprain her neck with how much her head whipped around her. She could barely cast a glance at one animal that could possibly be called a goat—Clarke couldn’t remember if that was correct—before her attention was turned towards what looked like a blacksmith; but then her eyes caught a food stand that was giving off a scent that Clarke had never encountered before. However, her body instinctively reacted as her mouth watered and her stomach tightened. The teenager was suddenly aware of how hungry she was and wasn’t even sure when the last time she ate was.

“Lexa, how long were we kept in our cell?” Clarke asked suddenly. The walk so far had been swift, but silent from both parties.

“Two nights,” the Commander stated. “You were passed out for most of the time.”

“Falling several hundred thousand meters would jar even the thickest skulls, Commander,” Clarke stated, hoping to earn a chuckle out of the stoic leader. Lexa’s jaw clenched, but the brunette gave no other indication that she heard Clarke. The blonde cleared her throat and glanced over at Wells. He was also taking in everything that was laid out before them.

They began walking towards a series of huts made from wooden logs, metal, even a few glass windows. One thing that Clarke noticed was that each door of someone’s home seemed to intricately decorated, with the nicer homes having the most beautiful designs. However, before Clarke could wonder about the gorgeous doors, the Commander and her guard sharply turned and entered a larger hut in the center of the village.

It was a large, circular room with several cots, chests, and cupboards lined the walls. One young man, whom Clarke knew had to be Marek, was lying on one of the beds with an arrow sticking out from the middle of his thigh.

Lexa approached the injured hunter and, Clarke assumed, began explaining what was about to happen. Marek seemed to protest, attempting to sit up, but Lexa gently, yet forcibly, pushed him back down. With a few clipped words, Marek submitted to the Commanders words and turned to Clarke, eyes filled with suspicion and mistrust.

The first thing that Clarke noticed was Marek’s handsome features. Clarke thought he looked to be in his late teens, no older than eighteen years old. His skin was a beautiful dark shade, only slightly darker than Wells, and his eyes were a deep colored brown with specks of gold swirling in them. While difficult to tell while he was lying down, he seemed to about five foot eleven, with a well-built, muscular frame with a strong jawline. He had an intricate tattoo on his neck that disappeared into his shirt, preventing Clarke from seeing what it was.

“I have instructed Marek that he is allowed to defend himself should you try anything other than attempting to heal him,” Lexa stated, pulling Clarke from her admiration of her patient. She blushed slightly as she realized she was too busy checking Marek out to remember where she was and what she had to do.

“I’m quite sure your bodyguard would stop me before I could even think to something suspicious,” Clarke stated, glancing at the imposing man.

“Do not be ridiculous, Clarke,” Lexa stated. Clarke realized it was the first time she had heard the older woman say her name. It sounded strange coming from her lips—more formal somehow. Those same lips curled up into the slightest of smirks as Lexa pulled her large dagger from the sheath on her leg and began to lazily play with the blade. “I am much faster than Gustus.”

Clarke shivered at the brunette’s implication, knowing from the look in her green eyes that she would kill both her and Wells and probably wouldn’t lose a minute of sleep over it.

“We’re not going to try anything, but I will require some supplies,” Clarke stated. She felt the calm, confident doctor persona her mother had instilled in her over the last five years while she had unofficially been training Clarke.

“Nyko did take some of his healing materials with him, but there should be some of his things in the cupboards. Gustus will run and get anything else you require,” the Commander stated.

Clarke nodded and asked Wells to look for some cloth bandages. She then turned to Gustus and asked if he could make a fire in the fireplace not too far from where they were seated. The large man glanced at Lexa, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. Within moments, the large hut was filled with the warmth of the fire and Clarke forced herself to not stare at the beauty of the flames dancing in the hearth.

Instead, the blonde glanced down at the wounded man, examining the area where the arrow was piercing his thigh. The arrow was buried so deep that Clarke couldn’t see the head with only the wooden shaft visible. She looked carefully around the leg and saw that it was not through the underside of his leg. Wells brought her a warm, wet cloth and Clarke carefully began to clean around the wound.

Marek’s sudden intake of breath was the only sign that he was in any pain, but Clarke knew that he must be feeling an extraordinary amount.

“Do you speak English?” Clarke asked him as she continued to wipe his skin. Brown eyes flew open and found her blue ones.

“ _Gonasleng_ ,” he said through a clenched jaw.

“What?” Clarke asked, confused by the foreign language.

“We call it ‘ _gonasleng_ ’; warrior-language. Only the Commander’s warriors speak the enemy’s language,” Marek said, his voice deep and smooth. Clarke hadn’t seen a river yet while down here, but she had seen one in some vids and one came to mind as he spoke.

“You mean the Mountain Men?” Wells asked, taking the dirty cloth from Clarke and gave her a new one.

Marek gave a sharp nod.

“I thought you were a hunter in this village?” Clarke questioned.

“I learned how to use a bow to become a hunter when I was very young and found I was a natural in handling one,” Marek explained. “Our Chief saw my abilities and wanted me to learn how to hunt for the village, but also serve the Commander’s army if I wished to. I have trained with a local archer garrisoned here.”

“You must be very talented to be able to choose the military or to be a hunter,” Clarke observed. She was focused on his injury, attempting to figure out the best way to get the arrow out without causing permanent damage. Her questions, she knew, would help distract him from the pain. A part of her was also very curious about these people and took this opportunity to learn more about them.

“I am one of the most skilled archers and hunters among the _Trikru_ ,” Marek stated, the pride obvious in his tone.

“Then it looks like it’s up to me to make sure you are able to become the best hunter to ever live,” Clarke said with a reassuring smile.

“I have seen many arrow wounds in my time. Should you not just push it through and then cauterize the wound?” Marek asked. Clarke tried to keep her eyes from widening at the suggestion, but tried to remain calm and professional.

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. The location of the arrow could prevent us from pushing the shaft through,” she answered. “It could be in the bone or close to it. Pushing it in would cause more damage to your leg and make it much more difficult to heal once it’s out.”

“What then do you propose?” came Lexa’s voice, startling Clarke. She had forgotten that the Commander was in the room.

“We’ll need to cut around the shaft and, very gently, pull the arrow out. How wide is the arrow? I need as close to a measurement as possible,” the blonde asked.

“No more than an inch and a half,” Marek answered.

“Do you have any kind of anesthetic?”

“I do not know the word,” Lexa stated, her brow scrunched in confusion.

“Something to numb the skin around the wound so he won’t feel me cutting into him,” Clarke clarified.

“I am not afraid of the pain,” Marek stated matter-of-factly, but Clarke ignored him.

“None of us here are healers, Clarke. While I believe there are some plants that do what you describe, I know neither what they look like nor where to find them if Nyko were to have some here,” the brunette admitted.

“I can’t just cut into him without a numbing agent. I could possibly have to go several centimeters into his thigh, blindly, I might add. If he makes one wrong move, I could even more damage, possibly permanent,” Clarke stated.

Lexa stared at her, her green eyes cold and calculating as she evaluated the younger girl standing before her.

“Commander, I can handle the pain. If the Sky Girl is worried about my movement then have Gustus hold me down,” Marek exclaimed, raising his voice. Clarke looked at him like he was crazy.

“I can’t promise that I will be able to prevent permanent damage, Marek. Do you really want to risk having a lame leg for the rest of your life?” the blonde asked.

“I do not want to risk it, but what else do you propose? Nyko is miles away and the wound will be infected by the time word reaches him to return. Not to mention the sick people in Theda need him,” Marek argued. “Unless you have another idea, then there is no other choice.”

Clarke could hear the truth in his words, but it didn’t make what he said any easier to digest. She had never been in this situation before. She was always, always, supervised by her mother and surrounded by much more advanced medical equipment than wet cloth, a knife, and flames. Clarke felt as if she were about to be swept away with how much she needed her mother at that moment. She missed her so fiercely that a deep and powerful ache sprung from her chest and filled her whole being—from the pit of her stomach to the very cells circulating in her bloodstream. White noise filled her ears and her mind seemed to be still and moving dizzyingly fast at the same time as she felt hopeless to help Marek.

“Clarke. Clarke!”

Wells’ voice broke through the emotional upheaval and Clarke clung to her best friend like he was a lifeline.

“I’m not sure I can do this, Wells,” Clarke whispered. She felt Wells grab her shoulders and forced her to look at him.

“I know this is hard, Clarke. I know that you’re wishing Abby was here guiding you,” he said, his voice filled with empathy and understanding. “I feel the same way about my dad. But they’re not here right now. We are. They taught us so much, Clarke. About leading and taking action and doing the best you can with what you have. This is what you have, Clarke. Do you want to go back to that cell?”

Clarke thought about what her friend was saying. She didn’t want to go back to the cell. She wanted to be free from restraints, but most of all she wanted her mother.

“I want my mom, Wells. How can I do this without her?” she asked him. She knew he understood what she was really asking.

How can we survive the ground without their parents?

“Because you are Clarke Griffin,” Wells said with such conviction that Clarke felt his confidence in her fill her being. She could feel like a warm blanket on one of the colder nights on the Ark. “I know that Abby and Jake raised you to be smart and resourceful and an incredible leader, Clarke. You know you can do this. What would Abby tell you? Where do you start if you’ve used the allotted amount of anesthetic on patient?”

Clarke took a deep breath as she allowed Wells’ words to push away her self-doubt and fear.

“We need something to strap his leg down,” Clarke whispered.

“I can’t hear you…Dr. Griffin,” Wells said just as softly, a gentle and encouraging smile aimed at his best friend. Clarke straightened up and almost immediately felt more confident.

“I need something to strap Marek’s leg down,” she said more clearly. “It’ll need to be completely immobile. Even with Gustus holding him down, adrenaline can make anyone much stronger than they normally are. Also, I’ll need a small, but incredibly sharp knife, a thin pair of tongs, a sewing needle, and a thin yet sturdy piece of thread. Lastly, I will need a lot of cloth bandages to clean the wound and soak up the blood.”

“ _Gyon au, Gustus_ ,” Lexa barked at Gustus, who immediately left the healer’s hut to find what Clarke asked for.

“I’ll try to find some soap,” Wells said with a proud smile and then began digging through the draws and cupboards.

“Why do you need tongs?” Marek asked. Clarke looked at him sympathetically.

“I will need them in case the arrow is lodged in your bone. They will give me traction to pull the arrow out,” she answered. Marek’s eyes widened slightly, but he simply swallowed and nodded.

Wells returned with a large bowl of hot water, clothes, and a bar of what smelled like soap. Clarke began washing her hands rigorously as Gustus arrived with the tongs, sutures, and a knife with the blade the length of pinky finger.

She silently took the knife and cleaned it thoroughly before placing the blade and tongs into the flames to sanitize it as much as possible.

“Wells, please tie down Marek’s leg. Make it as tight as you can without cutting of the circulation,” Clarke instructed. “Gustus, you’ll need to hold Marek’s torso down.” The two men silently did as they were told. “Lexa, I know you said you’re not a healer, but if you can recognize it, get me any antibiotic you guys have.” Lexa didn’t show any annoyance at the order, but silently did as she was told. Clarke held up a piece of thick cloth to Marek. “You’ll probably want to bite down on this.”

Marek nodded in thanks and took a deep breath before placing the strip of cloth between his teeth. Lexa returned with a thick, green substance that had what seemed like red plant leaves sprinkled in.

“Spread this on the wound and cover it with a cloth when the arrow is out. It speeds up the healing process and helps keep away infection. It will need to be changed every few hours,” the Commander explained.

“I’ll make sure it does,” the blonde replied. “Get ready, guys. I’m all set.”

Everyone was in position and Clarke took a deep breath.

“On three,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “One. Two. Three.”

Clarke didn’t hesitate as she brought the knife to Marek’s thigh. Clarke was always surprised at how easily a blade sank through skin. She marveled at how something that was so durable that it could hold all of the organs, blood, and bone inside a body, but break open with hardly any effort. This time was no different as she cut around the arrow shaft. Blood pumped out of the newly opened incisions, blotted away by Wells, and Marek’s whole body tensed as Clarke began carving and his loud moans were stifled by the cloth. Gustus did a good job of using his muscles and weight to hold the younger man down as his body reacted to the pain, but Clarke attempted to block out everything out except for what she was doing.

Clarke didn’t dare go more than two inches around the shaft and prayed to whoever was listening that Marek was right in guessing the size of the arrow. She cut into the skin and muscle while, as gently as possible, using her finger to gauge how far the arrow was imbedded.

“Okay, it doesn’t seem like the arrow is in the bone; if it is, it’s barely touching it. I’m still going to use the tongs to steadily pull it out,” Clarke said clinically. She then addressed her patient, even though she wasn’t sure he would really be listening to her, “Marek, you’re doing great. It’s almost over.”

Clarke kept one finger inside the wound as she asked Wells for the tongs.

“Keep using the cloths to soak up the blood, Wells. I need to try and see as much as I can so I don’t nick anything I shouldn’t as I pull it out,” she said to her best friend.

“I got it, Clarke,” Wells stated confidently.

Clarke took a quick deep breath and then put the tongs as deep as she could into the injured leg. Marek’s agonizing moans increased in volume as it took two times for the tongs to gain traction on the blood soaked wood. As soon as she had a grip, she forced her hands to pull quickly, but gently so as not to tear anymore of the muscle with the jagged cut of the arrow.

As soon as the weapon was free, Clarke dropped it and quickly wiped her bloody hands dry. She efficiently picked up the needle and thread and began to thread the wound shut. When the last suture was complete, she cut the thread from the needle with the knife and placed a cloth with the antibiotic cream on it over the incision.

When she was finished, she stepped back and took a deep breath. She began to tremble slightly as the adrenaline from completing the quick, crude surgery could finally manifest itself in her. She had never done anything like that before and certainly not without her mom. Clarke could hardly believe she had just pulled an arrow out of a man, but the blood that was drying on her hands was real evidence of it happening.

“That was incredible, Clarke. Abby would be so proud of you,” Wells said, pulling the blonde into a hug.

Clarke clung to her best friend, taking in his scent. Even underneath the grime and dirt, she swears he still smelled like home. She didn’t know what would happen to them or if they’d ever see the Ark or their families again, but she knew that her and Wells would stick together, no matter what. He would be her home—her version of the Ark.

“Well done, Clarke,” stated the Commander, forcing Clarke and Wells to part. The blonde stared into the calculating forest green eyes. “You have kept up your end of the bargain. If you continue to remain useful with Marek’s recovery and you do not cause any trouble, you and Wells will be free to roam about the village.”

“With a guard,” Wells said evenly, though his expression showed his displeasure of being followed by a threatening stranger.

“For everyone’s safety,” replied Lexa, unfazed by the teenager.

“Thank you, Lexa, for your generosity. I assure you that we will be on our best behavior,” Clarke interjected, hoping to keep Wells from insulting the Commander. The last thing they needed was to offend the woman. Clarke wasn’t sure how powerful Lexa was, but the blonde was sure she didn’t want to find out by angering the brunette.

“Wait here shortly and I will send someone over to bring you to your temporary home,” the Commander stated, then promptly left the healer’s hut without so much as a look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fan favorites are about to be introduced :)

Chapter Three

“Friendly, isn’t she?” Wells stated sarcastically.

“You don’t become the most powerful woman of the twelve clans by being nice,” Marek stated from his cot. Clarke moved to his side, examining the wound. It wasn’t bleeding, which was a sign that Clarke had sutured his wound correctly.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. The blonde received a slight scowl in response, making her chuckle. “Sorry, I suppose that was a stupid question. Do your people have anything for pain relief?”

“I’m not sure. Medicine is taught to healers, not warriors. I know some quick field dressing for when you’re in the middle of combat, but nothing beyond the basics,” he answered. “My mother used to make me a tea when I was young to help me sleep whenever I was ill. When she comes back I will ask her what leaf it is.”

“Where is she?” Clarke inquired curiously.

“She is off searching for the men that came down with you, Sky Girl, by the Commander’s orders.”

Clarke started.

“That was your mom? The one who captured us?” she asked, surprised. Marek nodded.

“She’s the Chief of this village, the capital of the Woods Clan,” he explained.

“Clarke, can I talk to you for a second?” asked Wells, jerking his head to the other side of the room. The blonde patted Marek’s forearm in an attempt to comfort him and then walked over to her best friend.

“What are we going to do, Clarke?” Wells whispered as his hands wrung together nervously.

“I’m not sure. It won’t take long for Marek to get well again. Their doctor could be back by that point and take over for me,” she answered.

“At that point, we’ve outlived our usefulness to the Commander,” Wells pointed out.

“What? Do you think she’s going to kill us?”

“Why wouldn’t she? Either that or they’ll kick us out of this village and we’ll be dead in days. Have you been paying attention to these people? They’re so primal. Why bother keeping us around?” he asked. Clarke frowned at Wells’ word choice.

“I’m not sure what you mean by primal, but the Commander seems sensible enough. She’s incredibly suspicious, but not unreasonable. We did crash on her land, after all,” Clarke replied. “And we have proven ourselves to be useful and peaceful. Maybe they’d let us stay here.”

“Clarke, you can’t be serious?” Wells exclaimed louder than he intended. He glanced up at Marek, who was eyeing the sudden outburst from the teenager. He turned back to Clarke, whispering again. “We can’t stay here. We need to find a way to contact the Ark.”

“And how would you propose we go about doing that?” Clarke demanded. Her eyes flashed with a conviction and determination that reminded Wells of Abby. “We have no supplies, no way of knowing where to go, how to get there, or if there is even any way to contact our parents. These people don’t even have electricity. What makes you think they have a radio that can broadcast into space?”

Wells looked down at the floorboards, unable to answer Clarke’s rebuttal.

“Then what do we do, Clarke? Do you really think we’ll be able to just stay here for free? We’re a couple of kids who have never even seen a real tree before. What can we offer them?” he asked.

“Maybe their doctor would let me work with him,” Clarke replied. “If you can’t be my assistant, then maybe you could work with the soldiers who speak English. Learn to make weapons or run errands.”

“You want me to be some go-for boy?” Wells asked incredulously.

“We do whatever we have to do to survive down here, Wells. Make ourselves indispensable. We have to show them that we can be trusted so that they can help us,” Clarke explained.

“Help you with what?” asked Lexa.

Clarke and Wells whirled around, their hearts jumping into their throats. They had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they hadn’t heard the Commander enter the healer’s hut.

“Er—well, we—er—” Wells stuttered, panicking at the Commander’s eyebrow rising above her cold green eyes.

“We have no idea how to survive on the ground, Commander. We have lived in a large metal container that floats above the Earth our whole lives. We were hoping that you’d be willing to allow us to live here in the village until we know enough to survive on our own should we wish to leave,” Clarke explained.

“You want to stay here?” Lexa asked.

“We do. Of course we wouldn’t ask to live off your or the village’s charity. We can work in whatever job that is needed. I clearly have medical training to help your doctor—I mean, healer—when he returns,” Clarke offered. “Until we learn your language, maybe Wells could teach your soldiers English or run errands for the military.”

“And what makes you think the Chief wants two helpless teenagers living with her people, especially ones that look like Mountain Men? The people here certainly did not need your assistance before you crashed here,” Lexa asked.

“Two healers are better than one. You say you’re at war with these Mountain Men. What if they attack and you need help with the injured? What if something else happens here while the healer is gone again in the future?” Clarke argued.

Lexa seemed to be mulling over Clarke’s proposal. The two teenagers anxiously waited until the Commander reached her decision.

“I will agree to your deal,” she stated. Clarke began to smile, but Lexa held up a hand to stop her. “I agree, but only if the Chief of this village allows it. I will not force her to accept strangers into her village if she does not want you here.”

“It’s a good thing that I just saved her son from having a crippled leg for the rest of his life, then,” Clarke stated with such confidence, she swore Lexa’s lips twitched as she stopped herself from smirking.

“Indra is not an easy woman to earn trust from. You will have your work cut out for you, Clarke and Wells of the Sky People,” Lexa stated. With one last once over at the two teenagers, Lexa moved on. “Is there anything else you need for Marek?”

“He mentioned a tea his mother gave him to help him sleep. Until your healer returns to help with the pain, I recommend he drink that to encourage the healing process. I will, of course, come every few hours to change his dressings,” Clarke explained.

“Good. I will let your mother know when she returns, Marek. Be well soon,” Lexa said to her soldier earnestly, extending her hand out to him.

“ _Sha_ , _Heda_. _Mochof_ ,” Marek replied and instead of shaking her hand, the two clasped each other’s forearms briefly before letting go.

“Come with me, Clarke and Wells. I have found you a place to stay and I will introduce you to your guard,” the Commander stated, then she turned with a swish of her sash and exited the hut, clearly expecting the teenagers to follow her without complaint.

“I’ll be back later, Marek,” Clarke promised the hunter, giving him a reassuring smile.

The two teenagers left the healers hut and joined Lexa and Gustus as they made their way to where Clarke and Wells would be staying. Stepping back outside was still shocking to Clarke with the cacophony of new noises and colors overwhelming her senses, but she forced herself to pay attention to where she was going so that she would be able to find her way back later. The worn down dirt path crunched under her feet, a sound that was so different than the tap tap tap of the metal floors on the Ark, took them back towards the market.

“Commander, what kind of currency do you use among your people?” Clarke asked the brunette, falling into step next to her as they weaved through people and stalls.

“Most rely on bartering items and favors; some clans, such as the Woods Clan, have their own coinage. I am currently discussing with my advisors on how to create a universal currency to be used throughout all of my clans, but that will not take effect for quite some time,” Lexa answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Wells and I will need to buy some supplies; a change of clothes and food, for example. We don’t have any money or items to trade, however.”

“Until Indra returns, I will be covering the expenses of your stay,” the Commander stated matter-of-factly. Clarke had not been expecting her response.

“Lexa, that is incredibly generous. We are very grateful,” Clarke said. “We will find a way to pay you back, of course.”

“I am sure we can think of something, Clarke,” the Commander assured. They came to a stop outside a two story building that was larger than the residential huts. There was a sign with word in a foreign language hanging above the door. There was an image of a bed next to the word, so Clarke assumed they were at a building that lodges those visiting the village.

“I have rented out a room for the two of you for seven days. I have faith that Indra will have returned by then and we can discuss your future,” the Commander explained.

“Thank you again, Lexa. We are in your debt,” Clarke said genuinely. She heard Wells snort softly next to her and it took all of her strength to not smack the back of his head.

“Lincoln is heading this way, Commander,” Gustus said, his eyes looking towards the path that led towards the residential area of the village. Clarke turned to where his gaze was and striding confidently towards them was a tall, very well built, and very handsome young man. He looked only a few years older than Marek with a lighter skin tone, but his hair was shaved all the way down save for a buzzed mohawk. He was dressed in what looked like a worn leather jacket with strategic tears across the chest, dark cargo pants, and a neck wrap with metal armor attached to it. Hanging from his back was a long sword and a dagger was attached to a hilt on his belt. He also had a neck tattoo and others that appeared to go up his thick biceps that, when paired with his weapons and serious brow, made him an imposing figure to behold.

He stopped right in front of Lexa and bowed his head, not meeting her eyes.

“ _Heya_ , _Heda_ ,” he greeted the Commander. His voice was, surprisingly, gentle and low. Clarke had pictured a clear, powerful tone to match the striking body.

“Lincoln, it’s good to see you again,” Lexa said with an even tone, not showing any pleasure or displeasure at seeing the man. “Gustus briefed you on your assignment?”

“Yes, _Heda_ ,” Lincoln replied.

“This is Clarke and Wells of the Sky People. They are not to leave your sight until your Chief has come back from her current assignment. You will only be relieved at night where you are to take your rest in the room across from them, at which point Anya will take over for you. Do you understand?” Lexa instructed.

“ _Sha_ , _Heda_ ,” the taller man responded. Lexa then turned her eyes to Clarke and Wells, but continued to address Lincoln.

“Should the Sky People try to escape or attack you or anyone in this village, you have permission to stop them by any means necessary,” she stated. The serious and cold look in the woman’s eyes made Clarke’s veins turn to ice. “If possible, keep at least one of them alive. Report to me with any problems.”

“By your order, _Heda_ ,” the warrior stated.

“ _Heda_ , we must go. The delegation from _Sankru_ is waiting in the Meeting Hall,” Gustus informed the Commander.

“I’ll be checking in, Clarke,” Lexa promised. Then, with a nod of her head at Wells, the Commander left them alone with Lincoln.

Clarke was very intrigued by Lexa. She was cold and calculating, but then she is willingly paying the way for Clarke and Wells to stay in the village. Wells was right before when he had pointed out that they would be no use to Commander after the village healer returned, yet she was generous enough to allow them to stay with her people. Her words promised their death if they were to do anything that threatened, or even seemed threatening, to her people; yet she seemed to care about the fate of one hunter in this village. Clarke wasn’t sure how many people she ruled over, but surely one hunter, even if he was a great one, would seem inconsequential compared to everyone else.

Clarke and Wells were raised in a society where everyone was dispensable. If one law is broken by someone over the legal age of adulthood, they were sent out an airlock. No one was spared. Clarke remembered, when she was still quite young, hearing that the Head of Security was caught overlooking a minor offence that one of his guards committed. Both of them had been floated. Wells’ father, Thelonious, never wanted anyone to die, but had never hesitated to float even those whom he had considered friends. Clarke wanted to believe that he cared about everyone on the Ark, but it was her mother who always tried to save people. Thelonious accepted that anyone on the Ark could die, therefore never allowed anyone to be close to him other than his son.

Lexa, however, seemed different. When she asked Clarke if she would be willing to help Marek, she did so with little hesitation and quickly agreed to the terms Clarke set in exchange for her assistance. So, after having only seen Thelonious as the ultimate authority on the Ark her whole life, it threw Clarke to see a leader treat someone under her rule as if they truly mattered.

The Commander was certainly a fascinating leader and Clarke felt herself slightly looking forward to speaking with her further.

“This way,” Lincoln said, breaking Clarke from her reverie. She and Wells followed the soldier into the inn. The door closing behind them shut out the noise from the market, but the teenagers’ ears were met with a somewhat familiar sound, even if the sight was different. It sounded just like the mess on the Ark where many people would eat on their lunch break and where the students ate on school days. Inside the inn were several tables with patrons of all kinds eating, drinking, and talking. The inside of this common area was all dark wood lining the walls with heads and antlers of some animals that Clarke recognized from pictures Mr. Pike had shown his students in Earth Skills. There were some stuffed carcasses of animals that Clarke hadn’t the vaguest idea what they were. There was also a large fireplace in the middle of the circular room, the chimney wall being main support for the second floor above them.

The patrons themselves looked similar to Lincoln in dress, but people of all races and builds populated the building. Clarke was drawn to look at one woman who sat on the far side of the room. She was quite elderly, her wrinkled skin crinkled even more with every puff of what looked like a long stemmed pipe. She had no companions at her table, but simply sat silently. Clarke was about to look away when the old woman locked eyes with her. Clarke felt her spine shiver. Apprehension filled her as the woman with clouded, pale blue eyes continued to stare at her.

Tearing away from the gaze, she followed Lincoln as they ascended a staircase to the upper level. It led to a corridor with several closed doors and Lincoln led them to the one that was open. The room was Spartan in its décor, supplied with two simple beds, a makeshift nightstand and a wooden tub just large enough for one person to fit in. There was a window that looked out at the market, sun streaming through onto the bed closest to it.

“This is where you will be sleeping. It has two beds and a tub for bathing. Hot water will be brought to you shortly, as will food. During the day, while you are in the room, I will be stationed outside your door,” Lincoln explained in his gentle voice. “Should you need anything, we will go to either the owner of this inn or the Commander. If you need to leave the building, you will leave together and stick with me the entire time.”

Clarke and Wells’ stomachs simultaneously growled loudly at the mention of food.

“Thank you, Lincoln,” Clarke stated.

Just then, someone knocked on their door. A young girl of about twelve stood outside the room, carrying a large tray with two plates of what might have been food. All the food on the Ark was either processed knock offs of old world food or half ripe fruit and vegetables grown on Farm Station. It was all Clarke and Wells had known, but just looking at the succulent, juicy meat on the plates in front of them with a small pile of pink fruit and what Clarke could only dare imagine was bread made the teenager’s mouths water.

“ _Mochof_ , Allesica,” Lincoln said to the girl, who set the tray on the nightstand and then quickly left the room.

Clarke and Wells didn’t hesitate to attack the food. It had been days since their last meal and they devoured their dinner ferociously. Clarke had never tasted anything so wonderful in her entire life. The meat, whatever it was, exposed her taste buds to flavors she never knew existed. If she had cared beyond anything other than the food in front of her, she probably would have been embarrassed by the sounds that were coming out of her.

The teenagers were so preoccupied with eating that they barely noticed three people enter the room and pour steaming buckets of hot water into the tub. Wells was the first one to finish and looked at the water. Clarke could see him itching to get in and wash away the grime they had accumulated during their two days in a dirty cell.

“I will be outside while you bathe,” Lincoln said and then left, closing the door behind him. Clarke quickly finished her meal and met Wells’ gaze.

“You can wash up first, Wells,” she offered.

“Clarke—” he started, but the blonde interrupted him.

“Seriously, Wells. I owe you for helping me not panic before attending to Marek. You can go first. I’ll sit by the window,” she insisted.

“You don’t owe me anything, but I won’t fight you on this,” her best friend said with a smile. Clarke returned it, glad to see something so familiar so far from home.

She went and sat down on the bed and stared down at the bustling market below them as Wells’ rustled behind her to get into the bath. If it had been anyone but Wells, she would have been a bit embarrassed to be in the same room with someone who was bathing.

 _Well, maybe not with Raven_ Clarke thought. Pain shot through her chest at the thought of her other best friend who was still on the Ark. They had been best friends almost as long as Clarke and Wells had been. While their families were from different circles, she and Raven loved each other dearly, even during their explosive fights. _She probably thinks I’m dead. They all probably think we’re both dead._

Blue eyes burned as tears threatened to fall, but Clarke bit her tongue to force them back. She needed to keep it together. Her and Wells would have to be patient, but maybe there was still technology around. She pleaded with whatever god, if there were any, that they could find a radio of some kind.

 _I’d do anything to contact the Ark_ Clarke thought. She felt a sense of such conviction at those words that it filled her entire being—she believed it with everything in her. She would be patient. She would help heal the people here. She would make herself useful to these people so that, when the time came, they would help her and Wells figure out how to call the Ark.

 _I promise, mom. I’ll see you again_ Clarke swore silently.

* * *

Clarke’s eyes flew open and her heart rate spiked in her chest. The only thing Clarke could see in the darkened room was the pale light from the moon reflecting off unfamiliar eyes. Strange hands clamped on her mouth and a powerful body pushed her further down into the bed, trapping the blonde. Clarke tried to scream, but the sound was muffled by the intruder’s hand.

“Quiet, Sky Girl. You would not want to wake the whole inn, now would you?” a woman’s voice asked. “Come with me. Marek is expecting you.”

Clarke’s fear subsided only slightly as the woman moved off of her and at the mention of a familiar name. In the haze of her terror, she vaguely remembered that he needed tending to every few hours.

 _But who is this woman and why is she taking me to him? Where is Lincoln?_ Clarke thought frantically.

“Come, Sky Girl. I will not ask nicely again,” the woman said.

 _You haven’t asked me anything_ Clarke snipped in her head, but wisely did not talk back.

Clarke felt around on the ground for her tennis shoes and slipped them on, then grabbed the jacket that had been provided for her. It was once a dark green leather jacket, but had been stained brown with age and wear. The zipper didn’t work, but three simple clasps had been added to make up for it. There hood was made of wool, dyed black, and had clearly been added on many years after the jacket had initially been made. It was only slightly too big, but overall quite comfortable and warm. Her pants she had been provided with were a light brown canvas material with several pockets lining her thighs and near the belt-line. Her shirt was a simple red, long sleeve linen material. Overall, the clothes they had been given were strange in appearance, but familiar in feeling. There were hardly ever any new clothes made on the Ark. Everything was a hand-me-down, patched and sewed up several times over. So, for Clarke, to be wearing clothes that had clearly been worn before and mended many times, it almost felt like something she would have had in her closet at home.

Clarke quickly donned her shoes and jacket and then followed the strange woman out of the room. She squinted in the torches lining the hallway as she took in her the stranger who had woken her once her eyes had adjusted to the light. Dark shadows danced over her sharp features, but were contrasted to the blond locks that took up the majority of her hair, with black roots showing Clarke her natural color. This stranger was utterly beautiful and her high, regal cheekbones were her most attractive physical quality. Her deep brown eyes searched Clarke’s blue ones as they measured each other. The stranger was dressed similar to Lincoln, but with more fur added to her black clothes and armor. Instead of just one weapon, however, Clarke saw two hilts behind each shoulder.

“Who are you?” Clarke asked bluntly. The woman’s lips turned up in a sardonic smirk.

“I’ve heard you’re quite insolent. Gustus told me he was close to cutting your tongue out for addressing our Commander in such a casual way,” the woman replied. Clarke raised an eyebrow and decided to take a small risk.

“Lexa isn’t my Commander,” the blonde stated slowly and deliberately. The stranger’s smirk dropped and matched Clarke with one eyebrow rising high on her forehead. A few seconds of silence passed and Clarke wondered if she gambled too much. There would be only so much disrespect she would probably be able to dish out before she did irreversible damage.

Just as she was thinking of backtracking and apologizing, the woman suddenly began to laugh. It wasn’t loud, but short, stucco like laughter erupted from her and Clarke discreetly let out a breath of relief.

“I give you a week, Sky Girl,” the woman stated, then turned and walked down the corridor leading towards the stairs. Clarke followed her, hoping they actually were going to go to Marek.

“What do you mean you give me a week?” Clarke asked as they reached the common area. “And what about Wells? And where is Lincoln?”

“Do you always ask so many questions, Sky Girl?”

“Because I want answers.”

“And do you always get what you want? Maybe we should call you _hainofi_ instead,” the older woman asked as they walked outside the inn. The market, which had been so active a few hours ago, was completely deserted except for a few guards patrolling the streets of the village. The eeriness made Clarke apprehensive to wander far from the woman, even if the blonde didn’t know who she was.

“Call me what?” Clarke asked, unsure if she had heard the foreign word in the snippets of their language she had heard.

“ _Hainofi_ ; princess in your tongue,” she explained and Clarke could hear the smirk in her tone. Clarke scoffed and rolled her eyes. Whoever this woman was, she was quite annoying.

“I’ve got a nickname for you,” Clarke muttered, frustrated she wasn’t getting any answers. The woman rounded on her, startling the blonde.

“I’m giving you a week until you’re dead. Your friend is still sleeping because I only wanted to deal with one Sky Person at a time and I let Lincoln remain at the inn to relax. He was in the common room watching the staircase should your friend come down, which you would have noticed if you had used your eyes to observe your surroundings. And my name is _Anya kom Trikru_ ,” the woman said, spouting the information so quickly it took Clarke a moment to process it.

“Anya come tree-ku?” Clarke asked, her tongue unfamiliar with the words as they fell misspoken and mispronounced from her lips. The older woman rolled her eyes so hard Clarke was sure that the woman had been able to see behind her.

“ _Anya…kom…Trikru_ ,” she stated more slowly. Clarke repeated it twice more, getting it right the third time. They began walking towards the healer’s hut again, this time in silence.

Clarke observed the village and noticed just how different it looked at night. On the Ark, when everyone was sleeping, only the essential areas had light to preserve power. Clarke rarely roamed the corridors after eleven, when the lights were shut off, because there was really nothing to do after that time. The few times she had done it, the emergency lights lining the walls still helped her see where she was going. However, down here on the ground, there was nothing but the moon and the stars to see where one was going and the occasional torch stand in the center of the village. Clarke felt a prickle of fear at the unfamiliar surroundings, shadowed in darkness. She had never been one to be afraid of the dark—every window on the Ark stared out into the black void of space—but without the comfort of the sturdy metal walls, Clarke suddenly felt very exposed for anything that could be hiding in the trees. She instinctively moved a little closer to Anya, subconsciously knowing that the lithe, strong woman would be able to handle any danger that would confront them.

It only took a few minutes to reach the healer’s hut and Clarke felt her lips automatically turning up in a smile when she saw the hunter.

“Hello, Marek,” she greeted brightly.

“Good evening, Clarke,” he replied with a half-smile. He looked as if he was trying to hide the pain he was in, but Clarke’s trained eye could see through the mask.

“How’s the pain?” she asked, grabbing a stool and setting it by his bed. She sat down and slowly peeled off the bandage.

“It’s fine,” he grunted. Clarke gave him an exasperated look. His attitude was similar to the guards on the Ark who were injured. Clarke, like her mother, never stood for the tougher than nails appearance and had no problem calling it out.

“Want to try that again? On a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain?” she inquired as she examined the stitches. She didn’t see any red coloring or pus around the wound. She was relieved. Using equipment that hadn’t been sanitized like they would have been on the Ark had her worried about infection. So far, it looked like that wouldn’t be a problem.

“Five,” Marek relented. Clarke had a feeling that wasn’t completely true, but she let it slide. There wasn’t much she could do about it anyways.

“If it gets worse than a seven, you need to let me know. It could be a sign of the wound healing incorrectly or an infection. If you think getting shot with an arrow was painful, it’ll be nothing compared to when I’ll have to saw off your leg because your tough guy arrogance wouldn’t tell me the truth,” Clarke explained nonchalantly, as if it wouldn’t matter to her what he did.

It must have worked because she saw him swallow hard, but he nodded, silently promising to be more forthcoming in the future.

“Has there been any word from your mother?” Clarke asked as she applied to healing substance onto the wound.

“Not that I’m aware. The men had a two day head start on her, so it could be a few days. She’s a good tracker though, so I’m confident she’ll find them,” Marek replied, the pride evident in his voice.

“Well, seeing as how my people have no experience surviving on the ground, I doubt they’ve made it difficult for them to be found,” the blonde pointed out.

“You better hope they don’t give my mother a difficult time when she finds them. She probably won’t be too gentle if they fight her,” the hunter said.

Clarke scoffed.

“I couldn’t care less what she does to them,” she replied. The overwhelming rage inside of her at what Quinn and Ray did to her and Wells took her off guard. Clarke was not an easily angered person by nature, but the amount of hatred and disgust she felt towards the two men who ruined her life almost consumed her in that moment. “They kidnapped us from our home and tried to kill us. I will never forget the look that they put in my mom’s eyes when she watched me plummet to the Earth. They could rot in a cell or be thrown off a cliff, for all I care.”

“Why not just kill them yourself?” Anya questioned from behind them. The guard had been silent until that point, seated near the fire while she observed Clarke and Marek. The blonde whipped her head around, staring open mouthed at the question. The casual way she suggested murdering two people shocked Clarke, making her hands still as she reached for the bandage on the table next to the bed.

“Me? Why would I do that?” she asked.

“ _Jus drein jus daun_ ,” Anya stated. Clarke stared at her blankly, not understanding. “It’s our way. Blood must have blood.”

“Sanctioned vengeance?” the blonde asked, her eyes going wide. While she was very familiar with capital punishment from living on the Ark her whole life, it had always been done by the council. Carrying out a personal vendetta was illegal and could result in being floated.

“These two men obviously wronged you; why wouldn’t you and your friend be the ones to kill them? How else would you prevent someone else from trying to take your lives in the future if they think you are so easy a target?” Marek asked.

“I’ve—it’s just—where we’re from, you can’t do that,” Clarke sputtered. Anya simply shrugged, then went back to staring at the flames. The blonde shook herself out of her reverie and applied the fresh bandage onto Marek’s injury.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Marek?” Clarke asked as she stood up.

“No, thank you, Clarke,” he replied with a grateful smile. The blonde felt her stomach swoop at being the receiving end of his grin. Clarke was quite sure she had never seen a more attractive young man in her life and her fifteen year old hormones made her head swim and her mouth suddenly become parched. She cleared her throat and tore her eyes away from the deep brown she felt herself getting lost in.

“Good. I will leave you to rest. Remember, if the pain gets worse, let me know right away,” she stated, hoping she sounded as professional as she wanted to be.

“ _Reshop_ , Sky Girl,” he said, relaxing into the bed and closing his eyes. Clarke wasn’t completely sure, but she figured he was bidding her goodnight in some way. At that, she and Anya left the healer’s hut and Clarke was grateful for the cool night air as it cooled her warm skin. Whether it was from the warmth of the fire lit room or body’s reaction to Marek, she couldn’t be sure. Her relief was broken by Anya’s chuckles.

“What’s so funny?” Clarke asked, her eyes narrowing. Even though she had only met Anya a half an hour ago, Clarke knew that this woman was going to be someone who would mock and tease her at every opportunity.

“It seems a teenage girl is still a predictable teenage girl, no matter if she is of the ground or the sky,” the warrior smirked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clarke demanded, knowing she wasn’t going to like the answer.

“‘Oh, Marek, is there something I can help you with? Oh, Marek, is there anything I can do ease your pain?’” Anya mocked, her voice a much higher pitch than her naturally lower tone. Clarke felt herself bristle at the imitation and felt the prickle of embarrassment at how easily Anya read her attraction to the hunter.

“I said nothing of the sort,” Clarke insisted.

“Your face is glowing so much I can see it in the dark, _hainofi_ ,” Anya said and Clarke was unable to duck the incoming hand that pinched her cheeks. The blonde shoved the offending hand away from her face and began stomping away from the infuriating woman. She heard Anya laughing the whole way back to the inn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but good news, loves. Ritavrataski offered to beta CWTS and so we've been getting that figured out. So, thanks for making me sound like a much lovelier writer than I am :)

Chapter Four

 

Clarke and Wells were woken by Lincoln the next morning with hot cereal that resembled what real oatmeal was supposed to be, rather than the goopy knockoff from the Ark. It was amazing what a few pinches of sugar, some goat’s milk, and fresh berries all mixed in could do for making a meal taste delicious. They were also given a cup of hot tea that was a bit bitter, in Clarke’s opinion, but she drank it without complaint. Overall, if there were one thing the two teenagers would quickly get used to on the ground, it was definitely the food.

 

“Lincoln, what are the chances that we could get a tour of the village from you today?” Clarke said, while they dined. Wells paused mid-bite, but didn’t object the suggestion. Lincoln took a slow sip of his own tea before answering.

 

“Why?” Lincoln stared back, suspicion dancing behind his intelligent eyes.

 

“As you have probably heard, our people have no idea there were others on the ground. We grew up believing it was impossible because of the bombs and radiation over the last one hundred years,” Clarke paused mid-explanation before continuing “to see for ourselves that we have been wrong for generations has been the most shocking experience of our lives. I can’t speak for Wells, but I’m very curious about your people—your culture and lifestyle. I would love to learn more about you and your village, if you’d be willing.”

 

“Why would I risk telling two people everything about my village who could turn out to be Mountain Men spies?” his suspicion still holding firm.

 

Wells jumped into the conversation that seemed more like an argument to him. “The Commander doesn’t think we’re spies.”

 

“I do not presume to know what thoughts run through _Heda’s_ head. She told me to guard you and that is what I am doing,” the warrior said.

 

Seeing that they weren’t making much headway, Clarke decided to go a different route. “Did she tell you that we are only confined to this room? Did she order you against showing us around?”

 

Several minutes passed before Lincoln spoke as he deliberated on the request.

 

“Very well, but if I say we cannot go to a certain area or we are done for the day, then you listen to what I tell you.”

 

Clarke eagerly broke out in a wide, excited grin.

 

“Thank you, Lincoln. Can we go as soon as I’m finished changing Marek’s bandage?”

 

Their guard nodded in agreement, causing Wells and Clarke to beam enthusiastically at each other. Clarke was glad her curiosity was equal to her best friend’s and couldn’t wait to get out and really explore the village.

 

The two teenagers hastily finished their breakfast and pulled their shoes and jackets on. Wells was given a light green linen t-shirt with a brown leather jerkin and black buckles that closed it. His pants were black dyed wool that had a linen lining inside of them with a black leather belt to hold them up.

 

Clarke and Wells followed Lincoln out of the room and down to the common area. Before she could reach the door, Clarke caught the eye of the same old woman from the night before staring after them. The elder figure sitting in the same spot she was a few hours ago, smoking the same pipe. While the clouded look in her eyes suggested the woman was blind, Clarke could feel her penetrating gaze from all the way across the room, which once against caused a shiver of apprehension to tingle through her. Clarke quickly tore her own blue eyes away from the woman, then continued to follow Lincoln and Wells outside.

 

Clarke loved that the inn they were staying at was right next to the marketplace. The blonde had a feeling she’d be able to spend hours exploring the stalls and examining wares sold there.

 

 _Patient first, Griffin. Then shopping_ Clarke reminded herself, feeling bad for wanting to rush inspecting Marek’s leg.

 

“How many people live here, Lincoln?” Wells said on their way to the healer’s hut.

 

“About fifty five hundred live inside of Tondc. Less than a mile away is a garrison of about five hundred soldiers that are rotated in and out, with the one hundred soldiers living in the village,” Lincoln explained.

 

“Six thousand people?” Clarke looked to her friend and found they were both equally floored by the number. The Ark had a total of just over twenty five hundred people. To know that there was more than twice that amount where they were staying was quite a shock. Clarke’s curiosity suddenly got the best of her, so she couldn’t stop other questions from pouring out of her mouth. “Is that the average population of all the villages down here? How many are there? How are the clans different from one another?”

 

“Demanding more answers, _hainofi_?” The laugh that floated to them was a familiar one. Three sets of eyes met Anya’s teasing ones and her ever-present smirk. She was leaning against the outside of the healer’s hut, apparently waiting for them.

 

“Good morning, Anya. Didn’t _Heda_ tell you that you were only on duty at night?” Lincoln asked as the two warriors clasped arms.

 

“Yes, but I was visiting Marek and heard you coming.” Her eyes met Clarke’s with a knowing look. Clarke felt her stomach fall slightly, fearing that Anya had told Marek about her obvious attraction to him.

 

“Good morning, princess,” Anya said, her eyes alight with mirth.

 

“Anya.” Clarke’s voice was sharp. “This is Wells. Wells, this is Anya, our other guard. I met her last night when she took me to change Marek’s bandages.”

 

“Hello,” Wells said. With a friendly smile, he offered his arm to the female guard. The warrior barely spared the proffered limb a glance, before staring down the younger boy.

 

 The next words from Anya were nothing short of blunt. “Are you Clarke’s lover?”

 

Clarke began to sputter so much she swallowed the wrong way and had a coughing fit. Wells turned so red, she was sure his hair was going to change color. While the teenagers righted themselves, Lincoln appeared to be gently chastising Anya, who simply waved him off.

 

“It was a simple question. Are you still so young that the idea of lovers disgusts you so?” Clarke could hear the teasing inflection in Anya’s tone. If she were certain she wouldn’t be killed for it, the blonde would have acted on her sudden urge to slap the irksome smirk off of the older woman’s lips.

 

“No, we are not together like that. We’re just friends,” Wells responded as his flushed face slowly returned to its normal color. Anya shrugged, but offered nothing else.

 

“If you’ll excuse me, I have a patient to see,” Clarke stalked into the healer’s hut, clearly done with the mild teasing.

 

Marek was sitting up in his cot when Clarke walked in—a large knife and several small, thin pieces of wood about two feet long were on the table next to him. He was whittling one of the pieces of wood, but paused when he saw the blonde walk in.

 

“Good morning, Clarke.” His greeting came with a small smile, which Clarke returned.

 

“Hello, Marek. How are you feeling today?” Clarke sat on the stool near him.

 

“Like a child shot me in the leg with an arrow.” The healer did not miss the unmistakable sardonic tone.

 

“What was a kid doing with a weapon, anyway?” Clarke thought about how vastly different their two cultures were as she pulled the bandage back. She was relieved to see a lack of red or pus around the wound still.

 

“How else were they going to learn how to hunt? I have about two to three young students I am training to be hunters. If we are called to war, I will have to leave the village and they will need hunters to make up for me being gone,” Marek said. “This, however, is going to slow down my teaching significantly.”

 

“That’s very thoughtful of you. You seem to care about your people a great deal to train children that aren’t yours in your trade,” Clarke acknowledged.

 

On the Ark, only a very select number of people didn’t take over their parents’ jobs. One would have to be exceptionally skilled or talented in another occupation for that to have occurred. If everyone only did what they wanted, some jobs might not have had someone to take over should the current worker die or become incapacitated. Clarke thought of Raven, who, with her genius engineering brain, was one of the exceptions. Thinking about her other best friend on the Ark caused Clarke’s chest to painfully constrict and her eyes prickle. The blonde forced her feelings of homesickness and self-pity down, choosing instead to focus on Marek.

 

“Of course I do.”

 

Clarke couldn’t help but return another one of Marek’s sincere smiles before taking her time to gather the old bandages and antibiotic salve, wanting another minute or two alone with the hunter.

 

“What are you making?” she asked, indicating to the pieces of wood and knife.

 

“It seems I will be indisposed for a while, so I thought I would make myself useful. These are arrows,” he said. “I should have enough to last me quite a while by the time my leg is better.”

 

Before Clarke could comment, Wells stuck his head inside the hut.

 

“Are you just about ready, Clarke?” Wells’ intrusion reminded the blonde of the tour they were about to receive.

 

“I have to go now. I’ll check in on you later,” were Clarke’s parting words to until Marek’s next check-up.

 

“ _Leida_ , Clarke.” The warrior waved his hand, then returned to crafting more arrows.

 

“I’m ready,” she said as she looked to Wells, Lincoln, and Anya. “Are you joining us?” Clarke asked Anya, hoping she would say no.

 

“As fun as it would be to watch you stumble around my home like newborns, I will be making myself useful. Bye, _hainofi_ , lover-boy.” The two teenagers glared at Anya’s back, after she turned to head towards the residential area, but neither responded to the woman.

 

Lincoln started to lead them away in a different direction. “Come on. We’ll start with the center of the village.”

 

“I can’t stand Anya.” Wells was so quiet, only Clarke heard.

 

“Tell me about it.” His best friend readily shared the sentiment.

 

“Do you still have questions, Clarke?” Lincoln turned to her with an expectant look on his face.

 

Lincoln began to answer Clarke’s questions as best he could. “As for how large most villages are, I haven’t traveled outside of Tondc too much, other than to go to Polis a few times and a bit around the area for patrols. So I do not know if most villages are this size. You’ll have to ask our Chief or the Commander. However, being the capital of this clan, we are most likely one of the larger ones.”

 

“You mentioned that the other clans are known for different things. What did you mean by that?” This question came from Wells.

 

The warrior explained that people under Commander’s rule, the _Kongeda_ , were divided into twelve clans. Each clan had something that distinguished them from one another, but admitted he didn’t know too much about them.

 

“It’d be more helpful to ask the Commander questions regarding the other Clans since she’s the one who united them,” Lincoln stated.

 

“What do you mean she united them?” Clarke’s interest piqued with Lincoln’s last statement.

 

“Before Lexa, the twelve clans were independent of each other, ruled by their own leaders. All the past Commanders have tried to unite them, but were never able to. Most tried with brute force and war. Lexa was the first one to bring them together, by convincing them that the only way to defeat the pervasive threat from the Mountain Men was if they joined together as one Coalition.” Lincoln paused before continuing. “She was ruthless, but convincing enough that even the Woods Clan’s enemy, the Ice Nation, agreed. It’s been a year since the Coalition was formed with the Commander as the absolute leader of the twelve clans.”

 

“How old is she?” Clarke asked.

 

“She just turned twenty this winter.”

 

“Well, I feel super inadequate at fifteen.” Clarke chuckled at Wells’ muttered comment, but felt a sense of awe at the Commander’s ability and vision.

 

Their thoughts turned away from the Commander as they entered the market. Walking through the marketplace quickly and without stopping, as they had done before, did nothing to help them prepare for the organized chaos they encountered. The teenagers felt like they had walked into a hurricane as they were swept up in the morning crowd. Everything that one would need was sold at numerous stalls: clothes, weapons, tools, household products such as dishes and cleaning supplies, chickens and roosters in cages, spices. There were tanners, a blacksmith, and many other vendors who sold goods that Clarke couldn’t describe.

 

Nothing in either of their lives prepared the teenagers for the powerful assault on their senses. Clarke’s were in overdrive and being tested in ways they had never been before. On a butcher’s stand, there was a pig’s head and other body parts on display. The very next stall over contained jewelry, ornaments, and household decorations. After that was a vendor selling colorful blankets and tapestries made of wool, sheepskin, and linen. There were hundreds of different smells that seemed almost overpowering to the Sky People. Several stands were cooking and selling food to eat, but that was mixed in with the odor of a few hundred people in a small area, and other stands that were selling or trading animals. In addition to all of that were the noises: the people bartering in _Trigedasleng_ , animals crying out from their cages and tethered posts. Blacksmith hammering on metal could be heard over meat being grilled over a fire or the shouting from vendors to direct people’s attention to whatever it was they were selling.

 

It took several minutes for Clarke and Wells to adjust to the atmosphere enough to really take in what they were seeing and hearing. They decided to pick one stall, then circle the entire market. The two best friends would occasionally ask Lincoln questions about certain items, but for the most part, Clarke and Wells spent hours showing each other objects they found interesting. The teenagers were, at first, too intimidated to try and communicate with the vendors, but, with Lincoln’s help when they became too confused, they were surprised to find how effective hand signals were to communicate with someone who didn’t speak their language. Despite the overwhelming and daunting experience, Clarke and Wells couldn’t remember the last time they had so much fun.

 

The one stall that had captured Clarke’s attention for several minutes was an art stand. The vendor was selling more art supplies than the blonde had seen in her whole life. She felt giddy at the idea of perusing his wares, hoping she would soon be able to buy some of them. Clarke had her eyes on a handmade sketchbook when she noticed Lincoln casually looking at charcoal pencils.

 

“Do you draw?” Clarke looked at Lincoln curiously.

 

“I am not one of Polis’ great artists, but I keep a journal, like that one, of sketches for when I have some downtime,” he explained.

 

“I love charcoal.” The blonde’s eyes lit up. “It’s my favorite medium to work with since it’s so versatile.”

 

“What do you like to draw?” The fellow artist looked truly interested in the Sky Girl for the first time. Clarke laughed at the irony of his question.

 

“Actually, I often drew what I pictured the ground to look like.” The response made the guard chuckle.

 

“And now that you are down here, have you found the ground to be what you imagined?” he inquired.

 

“It’s nothing like I envisioned. First of all, there are people down here!” Clarke still couldn’t hide her surprise by this fact, even in the middle of a crowded market in a village on the surface of the Earth, she was still having a hard time believing it. “I mainly drew nature scenes; forests, rivers, valleys, the view of the night sky from the ground. After only staring at Old World pictures my whole life, I can’t wait to get out of the village and see it all up close. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get my hands on some art supplies so I can start as soon as possible.”

 

Lincoln looked as though he was about to say something, but was interrupted by Wells calling his friend over from the stall next to them. Clarke shared a small smile with the warrior, feeling as if they had bonded, if only a little.

 

Wells’ eyes brightened considerably when they stopped at the blacksmiths. The teenage boy excitedly asked Lincoln to translate his questions as he watched the smithy hammer what looked like a bridle for a horse. Clarke could only understand every other word Wells was saying, but grinned when she saw how animated and curious he was regarding the blacksmithing process. He had always been a medieval history buff and loved the idea of knights, swords, and armor. Ever since he was old enough to understand it, Wells’ favorite tale was _King Arthur_.

 

They spent so long at the market that Lincoln told them he would finish the tour another day. They grabbed some grilled meat and fresh fruit from one of the stalls, then ate on one of the patios late in the afternoon.

 

Throughout the morning and afternoon, the teenagers noticed many of the villagers stopping to stare at them. Clarke figured it was because word had spread that the Commander had allowed two strangers to stay in their village but she had no idea if people knew where they came from. Whatever they knew, Clarke was grateful to have Lincoln, having been on the receiving end of several glares, since no one approached them when they saw the warrior guarding them.

 

Lincoln noticed the teenagers’ discomfort and sought to assuage their concerns. “You need not worry, Clarke and Wells. None will harm you while I am here; and most certainly, not after the Commander has ordered her people to not attack her guests. No one will dare risk defying the Commander, especially when she’s staying in the village.”

 

While Lincoln’s reassurance slightly eased the Sky People’s worries, Clarke would have to remember to keep an eye out for anyone who could potentially hurt her or Wells. The three of them finished their meal, then made their way to see Marek one last time. Clarke would return in the middle of the night to check on him again.

 

Clarke awoke the next day, tired from the last few nights of interrupted sleep. Since her bed was closest to the window, she woke as the sun rose, brightening everything outside. The blonde stretched quietly, as Wells was still sleeping, and noticed something on her nightstand that wasn’t there when she went to bed. As soon as she grabbed it, she realized it was a few sticks of charcoal and the sketchbook she had examined at the art stall the previous day. Confused as to how it ended up in their room, Clarke opened the book and saw writing inside the front cover.

 

Clarke,

My people have a saying, “The gods blessed the warriors with the gift to fight for the lives of their people, but they blessed the artists with the gift of giving their people something to live for.” Consider this a gift from our gods to share your talent with my people.

Lincoln

Clarke didn’t even try to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. She was practically a stranger to Lincoln—someone that could potentially be an enemy—yet he extended one of the greatest acts of kindness that had ever been bestowed upon her. This may have seemed a small gesture to others, but Lincoln giving her such a gift, after having bonded a little over their love of art, made her feel quite emotional. She couldn’t remember the last time she received such a personal, well thought out present. Clarke turned to Wells to wake him up and show him, too happy to contain herself, when she noticed something else on the nightstand. It was a roll of leather that clearly held several objects with a folded note on top of it.

 

“Wells! Wells, wake up.” Clare started shaking her friend awake.

 

“What the hell, Clarke? The sun is barely up,” the boy complained, rolling over to go back asleep. The blonde frowned and shook him harder.

 

“Get up, Wells. Lincoln bought us some gifts and I want to see what yours is.” Clarke’s impatience was difficult to mask at this point.

 

Wells perked up and looked over at his nightstand. Curiosity overtook his sleepy features as he grabbed the leather roll after sitting up. His brow briefly scrunched together while he read the note, before smoothing over. While Wells excitedly opened the roll, Clarke grabbed the note to read.

 

Wells,

Should you wish to find work outside of helping Clarke, Nati, the blacksmith we met with yesterday, has agreed to give you some beginner’s ‘smithing lessons and advanced ones later, should you desire to continue. These are some basic blacksmith tools to get started.

Lincoln

Clarke glanced up and saw a few different kinds of hammers, a couple of tongs, and one hatchet.

 

“This is so awesome, Clarke!” Wells exclaimed, his face displayed a childlike eagerness that Clarke could not help but share.

 

“Look at what he got me.” Wells laughed when he saw what it was and Clarke’s accompanying grin.

 

“You’ll need a new one by the end of the week. You’ll have this filled out with images of the ground in no time.” Wells doubted if the leather bound book would even last that long.

 

Clarke hugged the sketchbook to her chest, not even bothering to disagree with Wells.

 

“Come on, let’s go downstairs and get some breakfast. Maybe we can convince Lincoln to take us back to the market. I can sketch while you talk to Nati,” the blonde suggested. Wells nodded enthusiastically before the two of dressed quickly, ready to start a new day.

 

 

The next few days passed by in a blur for Clarke and Wells. Every morning they woke up, ate breakfast with Lincoln, and then walked over to the healer’s hut to see Marek. The hunter was recovering very nicely; the salve helping to speed up the process. While Marek was still having trouble sleeping, he insisted he was fine enough to try walking before his mother returned.

 

When Marek asked how Clarke was spending her time when she wasn’t with him, she enthusiastically spoke about her experiences going to the market and finally getting a tour of the rest of the village from Lincoln. She promised to bring her sketchbook the next time she came in so he could see what she’s drawn so far. She told him about Wells’ first day working with Nati and how he was frustrated with the language barrier, but was determined to keep at it. Marek grinned the whole time. Clarke animatedly explained her memories. She stopped her story short when she noticed his expression.

 

“I’m sorry; I’m just excited about all of these new experiences. It’s just so different than where we’re from.” Clarke couldn’t help the apology or her blush, once she realized the lack of control she had over her enthusiasm

 

“No, please, do not apologize. I am happy that you are so excited about my people and culture,” Marek insisted. “It is refreshing. I suppose I have taken my village for granted more often than not, after spending my whole life here. It is nice to see what my people are like through someone else’s eyes.”

 

“It’s so different than where I’m from that it would be impossible for it to not be exciting. Resources are so incredibly limited on the Ark and so to see a new culture that is so alive and thriving, I can’t help but be enamored by it,” Clarke explained.

 

Marek thought to caution the Sky Girl so she could have a more balanced view on the life his people led. “It is not always this way, Sky Girl. The benefits of the Commander’s Coalition include more trade routes and safer roads. It was a bountiful year, so we are reaping the rewards from it. However, there have been times when many people here died from too little food or sickness. I have no doubt it will happen again sometime in the future.”

 

“I doubt it’d be worse than what can happen on the Ark. There were times where our technology that creates water had broken, forcing us to go thirsty for a few days. At any moment, a number of solar panels could fail and cause an entire station to lose power for any length of time,” Clarke replied. She couldn’t believe that anything could compare to the harsh environment she grew up in. “Rationing can lead people to do desperate things that could get them or others killed.”

 

“I have seen even the most reasonable, wisest people commit terrible crimes out of desperation to live or for their families to live. It seems like those that live in the sky are the same, in this respect, as those who live on the ground,” he said.

 

Clarke gave him a sad smile. “It turns out, we’re just people trying to survive the best way we can.”

 

 

It was on the fifth day when Indra returned. Lexa had her and Wells brought to the Meeting Hall, which was an Old World subway entrance near the center of town. Local leaders, and the Commander at times, would gather there to discuss politics and war.

 

The Meeting Hall was large in size, but simple in design. Once through the makeshift wooden and metal door that acted as the barrier to the outside, and the original subway gate on the inside, Clarke could see a long table with several chairs around it. There were two corridors that the blonde figured lead to what would continue to be the subway, but she couldn’t tell if it was in use or not.

 

Lexa sat at the head of the long table, with Indra on her left and Gustus on her right. Clarke didn’t know the names of the three others with them but supposed they were other local leaders or advisors.

 

“Clarke. Wells. Thank you for joining us. Please, take a seat.” Lexa motioned to the teenagers once they walked in. “Indra has returned with news on what happened to the two men you came down with.”

 

The Commander nodded at the Chief, giving her permission to speak.

 

“We tracked the men, quite easily, a few days walk here, heading towards the Mountain,” the Chief stated. “However, from what we could tell from the tracks, there was a fight. It looks like your people were forced up the Mountain. We believe that the Mountain Men found and took your people into their fortress.”

 

“What fortress? You’ve mentioned it before,” Clarke asked.

 

Clarke took it upon herself to provide a brief explanation. “The Mount Weather Fortress is where all the Mountain Men live. As far as we know, it’s completely impenetrable and any _Kongeda_ who has been kidnapped by our enemy is never seen or heard from again.”

 

Wells’ raised eyebrows revealed how surprising he found this information. “They kidnap your people?”

 

“Kidnap, terrorize, torture, kill. They are our greatest enemy for a reason,” Indra answered. “They have been doing this for generations. Countless numbers of our people have been harmed and murdered by them. If they are the ones who took your friends, nothing good will happen to them.”

 

“Those assholes are not our friends.” Clarke’s mother’s stricken expression flashed before her eyes, reigniting the rage she felt inside of her.

 

The Commander chimed in after Clarke’s outburst without a single trace of emotion in her tone. “So you care not for what happens to them? No one alive knows what happens to the victims who enter the Mountain; untold horrors that will result in their death, most likely.”

 

“Had they failed in kidnapping us on the Ark, they would have been killed anyway. Regardless of when or how it happens, their deaths are inconsequential to me.” Clarke had never heard Wells sound so cold, but she couldn’t help but feel the same way.

 

Lexa examined both of the teenagers for several long moments. Clarke felt the need to fidget under such intense scrutiny, but managed to remain calm. “Very well, then. The fate of the two other Sky People is now in the hands of the gods. Now we shall discuss the matter of the two who are still with us. I have been watching Clarke and Wells closely and have received reports from Lincoln about their stay here.”

 

Clarke felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Here was the moment where Indra and the Commander decided whether or not she and Wells would be allowed to stay in Tondc.

 

Lexa regarded her General before saying, “Indra, I am quite convinced that Clarke and Wells are not spies sent from the Mountain or any enemy of ours.” Even though the blonde already suspected the Commander felt this way, she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders at the words being spoken out loud. Clarke returned her attention to the young leader when the Commander continued to speak. “I believe their story of coming from the sky is true and now we must decide what to do with them. I do not think they pose a threat to your village or anyone in the Twelve Clans. They are, for the time being, refugees who are stranded here, not of their own volition, and unable to find a way home. Clarke has offered a solution.”

 

Indra’s dark eyes glared suspiciously at the female teenager. It seemed that she would remain mistrustful towards them despite what her Commander thinks of Clarke and Wells. The blonde swallowed as everyone’s attention turned to her.

 

“I asked Le—the Commander—if Wells and I would be able to remain here for a while,” Clarke said, her voice steady and sure. “We wouldn’t want to simply live here for free. Wells has spent the last few days learning from one of your blacksmiths and I have training from my own people as a healer. As you might know, I was the one who helped your son with his injury since your regular healer was unavailable. He will make a complete recovery with full use of his leg.”

 

 _She has the best poker face of anyone I’ve ever met_ Clarke thought as the Chief seemed unmoved by Clarke’s words.

 

The healer felt it was rather imperative that she continue her plea to the intimidating woman before her. “I know that the Commander is your leader, but I am asking for your permission to live here, Chief Indra. We can make ourselves productive members of your village. I don’t know if we will want to be here forever, but until we learn how to live on the ground and have a chance at surviving outside of Tondc, we would like to stay here, should you allow it.”

 

Several moments of tense silence passed. The more time ticked away, the more nervous Clarke became. She glanced over at Wells, whose eyes betrayed worry as well. When the quiet was finally broken, it nearly startled Clarke.

 

“I will allow you to stay here,” Indra declared. Clarke believed that she would have collapsed if she hadn’t been sitting so strong was the sense of relief.

 

“Thank you, Chief. You won’t regret it.” Wells was equal parts sincere and grateful.

 

“Well, if it turns out that you are spies, I would rather have you close by, so I can kill you both myself.” Without a pause after the personal threat to their lives, Indra continued saying, “Have Lincoln bring you to a man named Torgon. He will help you with housing. Once Nyko returns, I shall explain to him that he has a new assistant.”

 

“That will be all,” Lexa said. “Indra, you are dismissed. Go see your son and relax.”

 

“You know where to find me should you need anything, _Heda_.” Indra stood and left the room.

 

“Thank you, Commander, for your vote of confidence. I’m sure it helped Indra’s decision.” Clarke approached the brunette, while Wells remained behind, waiting for Clarke to walk outside with him.

 

“I simply spoke the truth, Clarke. You and Wells have proven that you are not a threat and that you can only benefit Indra’s people,” Lexa replied as she clasped her hands behind her back.

 

Clarke watched as the other people in room began to leave the Meeting Hall before she continued her conversation.

 

“We are grateful, nonetheless. If you had not given us the opportunity to do so—well, it could have been us who were taken up to the Mountain instead of Ray and Quinn.”

 

“You are welcome, then.”

 

Clarke gave Lexa a small smile, then turned to leave.

  
“Clarke,” the Commander said, halting the blonde. As blue eyes met green ones, Clarke found it impossible to decipher what Lexa was feeling at that moment. “I wanted to tell you myself, now that Indra has returned, I will be leaving shortly, most likely as soon as tomorrow.”

 

“Leaving?” Clarke’s brow scrunched together as her heart sank a little. Despite how aloof and threatening the Commander could be, she still fascinated Clarke. The teenager had hoped for more time to try and understand her.

 

“Yes. While I was born here in Tondc, my home resides in Polis, the capital of the twelve clans. It is the political and cultural center of my people. I must return and resume my duties as Commander.”

 

“What about the war with the Mountain Men?” was Clarke’s immediate response.

 

“We’ve been fighting the _Maunom_ for many years, Clarke. I have only recently been able to convince the twelve clans to unite under my banner to fight our common enemy,” the Commander answered. “Now that my leadership is secure, I must gather my advisors and ambassadors to come up with a solution to defeating them. They are a formidable enemy and must be treated as such. It will take time to plan an attack of any kind against them should we hope to win.”

 

Clarke nodded. She was surprised to see such patience and wisdom in someone who was so young. It only made the teenager more curious about how she came to be such an astute leader.

 

“Well, in case I don’t see you before you leave.” Clarke held out her arm, which Lexa didn’t hesitate to clasp. “May we meet again.”

 

Lexa’s face looked confused at the words.

 

“It’s how my people say goodbye to one another.”

 

The Commander gave her a very small, yet sincere smile.

 

“May we meet again, Clarke.” With one last squeeze, Clarke let go of the Commander and walked outside with Wells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, loves. Lots of good, yet time consuming things were going on for me this last week and half or so. Hopefully you won't have to often wait so long between updates. However, these chapters might be getting longer since things are going to start to pick up with each chapter, so that means it might take more time with writing and editing. I continue to ask for your patience and hope you all think it's worth the wait!
> 
> Thanks to everyone leaving comments and kudos! They make me smile every time!!
> 
> There will be some Tridegasleng words and phrases sprinkled here and there from now on, but they will be translated in the end notes section. If it’s an important word or phrase that is pertinent to the story, it’ll be translated or simply italicized in English within the story.
> 
> Also, thanks to Ritavrataski for being an amazing beta and making me sound like a much better writer than I am :P 
> 
> Warning: Descriptions of violence and blood in this chapter.
> 
> Quick thing: the character introduced in this chapter is named Sonja, with the “j” pronounced like it is in the name John.

 

Chapter Five

 

Seven days had passed on the ground. Seven days of running between helping Marek, settling into a foreign land, and getting lost in a new culture and way of life. One week passed Clarke and Wells by so quickly, that they could hardly believe it. Wells was keeping track on a piece of paper he had asked to have from Clarke’s sketchbook.

 

Torgon, Indra’s right hand man, had asked around the village and had found someone who was willing to house the two Sky People for the time being. It had been Lincoln’s idea to have them live with someone who could teach them to cook, speak the language, and be their guide to living in the village.

 

Clarke, Wells, and Lincoln were enjoying dinner at the inn on their last night there before they were to move into their new home and both teenagers felt quite nervous about living with a stranger. “Why can’t we stay with you? Or on our own?”

 

Clarke was wondering the same thing Wells had asked. While she wouldn’t call Lincoln a friend, he was the closest thing to one the two Sky People had on the ground. Clarke and Wells were hesitant to be in anyone else’s presence for such an extended period of time.

 

Lincoln gave both teenagers a sympathetic smile. “While I would not mind having you two stay with me for a short time, I do not live on my own. I normally sleep in the barracks with the other soldiers. Due to Anya’s rank, she has her own house. Would you like me to ask her if she would like to take you in?”

 

While it was clear the warrior was only jesting, Clarke and Wells’ expression of horror was enough to tell Lincoln that they’d rather live with someone they didn’t know than with the relentlessly teasing female guard.

 

The warrior chuckled at the reaction and he continued. “Besides, you two have never lived on your own before and are still young. You said you wanted to learn how to survive. The woman you will be staying with will help you learn our language and provide you basic skills for living in Tondc.”

 

Clarke and Wells acknowledged that Lincoln was right and did not complain any further about their situation, choosing to remain grateful that they would have a place to live.

 

So, even though Clarke wasn’t sure what to expect when she and Wells were introduced to the person allowing them to stay with them, the blonde was stunned to see the elderly, blind woman from the inn standing in the doorway of a modest sized hut.

 

She was quite small, at least four inches shorter than Clarke, with shock white hair and weather-beaten skin that was worn with age and years of exposure to the elements. Clarke found it difficult to determine her age, but she could not be younger than sixty five. Her clouded blue eyes seemed to stare in their direction, but it was as if she were looking beyond them. Clarke had seen blindness in patients before, but there was a depth to this woman’s eyes that made the blonde unwary. Her voice was clear, sharp, and high pitched, reminding Clarke of glass without its frailty.

 

“You’re late, Anya.”

 

The female guard had been the one to escort Clarke and Wells to their new home as Lincoln had to return to his regular duties. He had informed them late last night that he would be going to garrison posted near the village for his stint guarding the walls of Tondc. The teenagers were sad to see him go, especially since they knew it would be Anya taking his place.

 

“Apologies,” was Anya’s sincere reply, bowing her head slightly. Although Clarke knew that the warrior’s role as a soldier required respect and obedience, it was strange to see her display such attributes as she had only seen Anya’s sarcastic, disrespectful side.  “May I introduce _Klark_ and _Wells kom Skaikru_.”

 

“So these are the Sky People I’ve heard so much about?” The old woman, with the assistance of a beautifully carved wooden cane, walked forwards until she stood in front of Clarke and Wells.

 

While the blonde could have sworn that the last few times she had seen the old woman she had looked right into Clarke’s eyes, this time, though, the vacant stare made it clear that elder had no sight whatsoever. The Sky Girl wasn’t sure which gaze unnerved her more.

 

Clarke heard Anya mumble something in _Trigedasleng_ , too low and quick for Clarke to catch any words she was becoming familiar with, but the blind woman must of understood because she—with agility surprising from someone her age—rapped one the warrior’s shins with her cane. The crack reverberated in the air.

 

The teenagers didn’t need to know the native language to understand the curses that came out of Anya’s mouth as she grabbed the injured leg. Wells was kind enough to cover his mouth in an attempt to hide his amusement, but Clarke made no move to disguise her boisterous laugh that echoed through the neighborhood.

 

“I swear by the gods, _plan_ , I will take you down one of these days,” Anya promised with a glare that, if possible, would have set her attacker on fire.

 

“Ah, yes. Then the great story tellers will forever tell the tale of how _Anya kom Trikru_ finally defeated her greatest enemy: an old, blind woman.”  The sarcasm practically oozed from the senior’s unimpressed tone. “How ferocious you are, _strikon_.”

 

Clarke grinned at the angry growl that came from Anya, but the guard decided against responding to the insult. “Clarke. Wells. This is _Sonja_ _kom Trikru_ , my grandmother. She has graciously offered her home to you.”

 

“Grandmother?” Clarke’s eyebrows shot up, clearly not expecting the two women to be related.

 

“Is that a problem?” Anya’s raised eyebrow practically dared Clarke to speak out against the woman who had just assaulted the guard. The blonde, refusing to show any sign of being intimidated, crossed her arms and mimicked the other woman’s eyebrow.

 

“Only if it means I have to see you more than is necessary.” Clarke didn’t even try to hide her cheeky tone.

 

“Has your life become so tedious, granddaughter that you feel the need to argue with a child? Should I speak to Indra about giving you more responsibilities?” Sonja interjected before her kin could reply to Clarke.

 

“They are your burden now, _komfoni_ ,” Anya huffed in annoyance. Without another word, the guard turned her back and stalked off towards the barracks.

 

The two best friends grinned at each other, happy to see the annoying woman walk away after being told off so thoroughly.

 

“You are no better!” The sharp, accusatory tone snapped Clarke and Wells out of their amusement. “If you do not know that you should not anger someone who can kill you so easily, it will be a wonder that you survive a month. Even a child understands that they should not aggravate a sleeping bear.”

 

Clarke and Wells hung their heads, thoroughly chastised.

 

“We’re sorry for laughing at your granddaughter, Sonja,” the blonde mumbled, horrified that they had insulted their host within minutes of meeting her. However, a snort from the elder indicated that she was not injured in the least.

 

“Laugh at her all you want, just so long as you understand that she would cut your tongue out before your laughter dies from your lips, should she feel so inclined.”

 

Wells subconsciously grabbed at his throat, his gulp audible. Without another word, the woman turned around and expertly guided herself back into her home. The two teenagers looked at each other, uncertainty written in their expressions. They had been told she was providing a home for them, but they had yet to be officially invited in.

 

“Are you coming in or what?” the elder snapped from inside the hut, causing the best friends to scramble inside. They passed through yet another intricately decorated door, which Clarke had discovered from Lincoln that they had something to do with the _Trikru_ religion. She made note to ask Sonja about it for a more detailed explanation later.

 

The inside of Sonja’s home had, by far, the most comforting atmosphere Clarke had ever been in, including her home on the Ark. The walls were a mahogany colored wood with one window installed, allowing the sun to provide the room with some natural lighting. The entrance opened up into the main room that was shared by the kitchen and a cozy living area. A fire was burning low in the fireplace, casting a warm light throughout the room. In the sitting area was a simple wooden rocking chair with a stuffed cushion on the seat and a gray wolf fur blanket thrown over the back. On the floor next to the fireplace were two body cushions for more seating. On the slightly raised platform where the fireplace rested on were various pots, pans, and apparatuses for cooking.

 

Clarke’s eyes traveled to the dining room, which consisted of a small, makeshift oak table for two people with matching chairs. In the very back of the room was a very modest kitchen that had a stand with scrap metal hammered onto it, giving the impression of a crude countertop. Next to that was a standing cupboard that Clarke assumed held all of Sonja’s plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. There were a few other containers and items that the blonde saw that she wasn’t sure what purpose they served, but was sure she would find out soon.

 

“Sit down. We have some things we need to discuss.” Clarke and Wells sat down on the straw-filled cushions, which were surprisingly comfortable. “You are free to come and go as you please, but I do have some rules I ask that you follow while you live here.” Sonja sighed as she carefully sat down in the rocking chair, the wood squeaking as it accommodated the slight frame of the elder. “I am an old woman, so I need my sleep. If you are coming in late or must leave late, do so as quietly as possible. You will not want to face my wrath if you wake me in the middle of the night.”

 

“So, we can leave whenever we want?” Wells interjected.

 

“Why would you not be able to? You’re no longer the Commander’s prisoners and are therefore allowed the freedoms that everyone else in Tondc has.”

 

Clarke was not naïve enough to believe that they were able to simply do whatever they wanted in Indra’s village, however. “We’re not _Trikru_ citizens though. We’re not a part of any clan. There must be some restrictions.”

 

“Well, I suppose you would not be able to interfere in any official village business. You are subject to all the laws of the clan and the Coalition,” the senior conceded. “You would have to ask our local priest about any religious constraints you would have to follow. The two of you may not be citizens, but you are guests of Indra, as well as the Commander’s, here in Tondc. You will be treated well and, if you follow our laws, should not have any problems with the people living here.”

 

The older woman allowed this information to sink in for the teenagers before continuing. “I have been asked to be your instructor regarding village life. Lincoln spoke to me at length about what you have told him about where you grew up—that nothing from living in the sky will help you down here.”

 

“Everyone on the Ark is required to take Earth Skills classes,” Clarke pointed out. “We were given lessons on how to build a fire, read a map, how to track. The problem is that no one alive on the Ark has actually put what they know into practice. It’s all been theoretical.”

 

“You, at the very least, have a foundation, then,” Sonja acknowledged, nodding. “However, I imagine that much of the knowledge of the ground your ancestors passed down is no longer relevant. I am one of the oldest people in our clan and I can tell you that the world has changed much in the seventy years I’ve lived here. It has changed even more if I am to believe the tales my grandparents told me, who were two of the survivors of the bombs.”

 

Clarke and Wells immediately perked up at the mention of the cataclysmic event one hundred years ago.

 

“Do you know what happened? Why all the bombs went off?” Sonja was already shaking her head before Clarke had finished speaking.

 

“No one knows much about what occurred so many years ago. Most do not care. What does it matter what happened so long ago when you have to worry about feeding your family or keeping warm in the winter?” Sonja explained. “What is important now is that I do my best to teach the two of you about our language, culture, and basic tools for village life.”

 

And so began Clarke and Wells’ first real lessons for living on the ground.

 

 

“Are you injured, Clarke?”

 

Marek’s question took Clarke by surprise. She was stretching his leg out, testing the muscle and checking for any signs of acute distress. It was a few weeks into his recovery—two weeks since Clarke and Wells had crashed onto the surface and one week since moving in with Sonja—and the healer believed it was time for the hunter to begin walking again.

 

“What makes you think I am?” Clarke answered as she slowly set the muscled leg down.

 

Marek chuckled. “Because you are wincing every time you take a step. Should we call for another healer to assist the healer’s assistant?”

 

Nyko was due to return any day now and Clarke was quite anxious to meet him and begin healing with someone who was more experienced than her. Thankfully, other than Marek and a few scrapes and sprains, nothing serious had occurred while the _Trikru_ healer was away.

 

Clarke rolled her eyes at Marek’s teasing. “Very funny. As it turns out, Sonja has about as much patience with Sky People as her granddaughter does.”

 

Marek’s infectious laughter filled Clarke’s chest with warmth, countering the sudden stopping of her heart at the knowledge that she could elicit such a reaction from him. The blonde could not stop the smile from forming on her lips. Unfortunately, her small crush on the handsome hunter had not died down with time, but rather increased with every day they spent together. She knew that he was in good health and didn’t need her to stop as often as she did, which was almost daily.

 

It was more than Marek’s easy going attitude and irresistible grin that drew the Sky Girl to him. Clarke’s mind wandered to a specific memory from a few weeks before.

 

_On the third day after moving in with Sonja, Clarke arrived at the healer’s hut, expecting to see Marek alone. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of three children—one girl and two boys—around between the ages of nine and ten. They were chatting very excitedly, and all at once, in Trigedasleng with Marek, who was patiently dividing his attention between them. They were all so engrossed in the conversation that it took a few moments for one of the children to notice Clarke._

_He was a dark haired boy whose light gray eyes widened at the sight of the blonde. Clarke gave a sheepish wave towards the group, feeling bad for interrupting. Marek, noticing the boy’s attention elsewhere, glanced up and a warm, excited grin lit up his face._

_“Clarke, come in,” he greeted. The rest of the children whipped their heads around and all of their eyes widened as the sight of the blonde. Clarke gave the younger kids her friendliest smile._

_“I’m sorry to interrupt. I can come back later.”_

_“Not at all. Please, I want to everyone to meet you.” Marek motioned his hand for Clarke to go over to him. As she sat on the stool next to his bed, the teenager noticed that the children had yet to stop staring at her._

_Marek gave Clarke an encouraging smile. “Do you know how to introduce yourself in our language?”_

_The Sky Girl nodded and then turned to the children to address them. “Heya, ai laik Klark kom Skaikru_ _.” The accent was off, but Clarke was still trying to learn how to wrap her tongue around the harsh consonants and clipped vowels._

_Marek muttered something Clarke didn’t catch in Trigedasleng to the children, but the three young ones shyly waved their hands, clearly still wary of the stranger._

_The hunter chuckled. “Apologies, Clarke. They are normally so talkative it is a wonder they do not alert every deer within a five mile radius that we are hunting.”_

_Clarke brightened at the mention of his pupils, remembering how Marek came to be injured._

_“Oh, these are your students?” she asked excitedly._

_“Yes. They finally gathered up the courage to come see me since I was wounded.”_

_“Were they afraid you would be mad?” the blonde asked._

_“Well, perhaps not angry, but they thought I would no longer wanted to teach them. I have explained to them that that was the last thing I wanted,” he answered._

_Clarke was going to ask another question, but one of the children moved off the bed all of them had squeezed onto and approached the teenager. The girl had shoulder length, light brown hair and wide hazel eyes that studied the healer curiously. When she spoke, she turned to address Marek in their native language._

_Whatever she said made the hunter laugh. “Mika is wondering why you have yellow hair. It is a very rare color among our people. I have only seen a handful in my life and they are usually traders from the northern regions.”_

_Clarke tittered quietly, not wanting the child to think she was laughing at her question. “Why do you have brown hair?”_

_The girl turned to Marek, seeking a translation. Her brow furrowed, not expecting that response. She gave no answer, but asked Clarke another question._

_The hunter bit his lip to suppress his laughter, but interpreted for the blonde. “She wants to know if she can touch it.”_

_Clarke raised her eyebrows at the request, but nodded at the young girl. Mika stepped into the Sky Girl’s space and slowly grabbed the ends of Clarke’s blonde locks. She spoke once more._

_“She said you are very pretty,” Marek said, his eyes soft and his smile gentle._

_Clarke felt her cheeks flush slightly and ducked her head, avoiding the hunter’s gaze, choosing to look at the young girl playing with her hair. “Mochof_ _, Mika.”_

 

Clarke brought herself back to the present as Marek began speaking again.

 

“Sonja, despite her age, is still a formidable woman. Very few are willing to cross her. I believe that she is the only person that Anya actually fears angering.”

 

“I quickly learned where Anya gets her sharp tongue,” Clarke laughed.

 

“She does not hold back, that is true, but you could not have asked for a better teacher. She is very wise and you will learn well under her care.”

 

Clarke gazed down at her hands, which were wringing together, as nerves bubbled up inside of her. She had been trying to pluck up the courage to ask Marek a particular question for the last few days, but with how his healing has progressed lately and how he genuinely seems to enjoy her visits, the blonde knew this was the best time to ask.

 

She took a deep breath and looked into the hunter’s warm eyes. “Marek, may I ask you a favor?” Curious brown irises gazed into sky blue ones as he acquiesced. “Perhaps next week, after you have gotten used to walking again, would you be willing to take Wells and I out of the village?”

 

Marek’s expression fell. “You wish to leave Tondc?”

 

The Sky Girl hurried to correct him. “Oh, no, of course not. I mean only for half a day or so. We would really like to explore the area a little bit. We’ve only seen the valley we crashed in and the village. I would love to get outside the walls and see what it’s like. Maybe sketch the scenery a bit.”

 

Clarke hoped she wasn’t imagining the slight look of relief that crossed Marek’s features before he answered.

 

“I would be honored to show you the lands I grew up on. I am quite anxious to get out after staying in one room for so long. Perhaps, if you and Wells wish to, we could camp out for a night.”

 

“Are you sure you’re willing to put up with two ignorant Sky People fumbling around in the woods for a whole night?” Clarke asked with a teasing smile.

 

Marek rolled his eyes. “How else will you learn, _Skaigada_? It will be good for you and Wells to see what it is like without the safety of the village. However, you should know that there are very real dangers out there and not just the Mountain Men.”

 

Clarke thought carefully about his warning, not wanting to take the risks lightly. “We’ll have to leave the village at some point. The sooner we learn, the better. Besides, we’ve already survived a kidnapping and a sixty mile drop from space to the ground. I think we can handle one night outside.”

 

“Then I shall make the preparations once I am able to walk to the market. Hopefully we can leave in as little as five days,” the hunter said, his eyes alight at the thought of finally stretching his muscles after so long.

 

Clarke felt an emotion stir in her that she had never felt before. Knowing that she and Wells would be venturing outside of Tondc caused an itch to well up inside of her. She was anxious to leave as soon as possible.

 

“Awesome!” Clarke exclaimed, giddy at the idea. “First thing’s first, though. Shall we test your leg out?”

 

Marek took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. The healer stood next to him, ready to offer her support if necessary. He fluidly rose from the bed, grasping only the bedframe, and gently putting weight on his recovering limb. Clarke noticed only a flash of discomfort cross the hunter’s face, but it disappeared as he got used to the sensation.

 

The older teenager grinned brightly at the blonde. “It is almost as if I had never been injured. Clarke, you truly are a skilled healer.”

 

The Sky Girl flushed at the compliment and couldn’t help but return the grateful smile. “I was happy to help, Marek, but you’re not finished quite yet. If you can walk around in three full circles around the room about five times a day for the next two days, then you and I can walk to the market together. If you can do that and walk back without any problems, then I will be comfortable giving you the okay to return to work and to take us outside Tondc.”

 

“I will do as you say, healer,” Marek promised.

 

Clarke observed how the hunter walked as he made his first three bouts around the room. She knew that he was probably going to be ready to go tomorrow, but since this was her first time working with a patient without her mother’s help, she wanted to make doubly sure that he was going to make a full recovery.

 

The blonde knew she needed to get going, despite being reluctant to leave Marek’s presence. She explained that she had agreed to meet Sonja and Wells in the market to pick up supplies for the dinner that the older woman was going to teach them to make. After one more expression of gratitude from Marek, the younger teenager left the healer’s hut and made her way towards the market.

 

Clarke found Sonja and Wells next to the blacksmith where the Sky Boy was apprenticing. She heard the older woman before the blonde saw her. The senior was arguing vehemently in _Trigedasleng_ with the smithy, both speaking too quickly for Clarke to understand what was being discussed.

 

She approached her best friend, who was watching the exchange curiously. “What’s got Sonja upset?”

 

Wells wiped away some of the sweat and soot that had accumulated on his brow from working all day. “Sonja wants me to make a new cane for her, but she wants it to be able to be used as a weapon. Something about part metal, wood, and leather. Nita doesn’t think I’ll be able to do it and said that if Sonja wants me to make it, she would need to pay more since he’d have to supervise me heavily instead of working on his own things.” The teenager was interrupted by Sonja tapping her wooden cane hard on the ground, making Nita step away from the woman. Clarke chuckled at the sight of a man who outweighed Sonja by at least one hundred pounds—all of it muscle—feel so intimidated by the woman. “Anyway, she thinks he’s trying to cheat her, thus the arguing. I think this is her way of haggling.”

 

“I pity all of these vendors, then,” Clarke stated sincerely. The best friends glanced at each other and laughed, knowing firsthand how stubborn the old woman could be.

 

The two Sky People chatted about how their day was, largely ignoring Sonja and Nita, when a noise drowned out the quarrelling _Trikru_. A commotion came from the stand a few yards away from Clarke and Wells, which soon had everyone around them staring.

 

Indra, who looked beyond furious, was dragging a disheveled man by the scruff of his neck. She was yelling at him in _Trigedasleng_ , but Sonja, having abandoned her own argument, translated for Clarke and Wells. Her face grim and her jaw clenched.

 

“Leod has been caught stealing again. It seems like this time it was from the village coffers.”

 

Clarke felt her heart beat quicken as dread filled her. She remembered the saying of the _Kongeda_ : blood must have blood. Her fear was confirmed as Indra pulled out her short sword as a guard held the struggling arm still. It took the blonde a split second before she realized what the Chief’s intention was.

 

“Oh, my God,” Clarke gasped and then instinctively rushed forward to stop what was happening. Before she could take more than two steps, a grip of steel held her in place.

 

Anya was staring the blonde down with the utter seriousness. “Leave it, _hainofi_.” Clarke tried to break the hold, but Anya stood firm. “Unless you wish to suffer the same fate, then you will not interfere.”

 

The teenage girl looked over at the thief just as Indra swung her sword down with all her might. Clarke had seen gore in vids on the Ark and had assisted her mother in patching up patients after a fight or altercation. Nothing prepared her for the gruesomeness of a violent amputation of a limb.

 

For a second, the entire market was utterly silent, Leod staring at the stump at the end of his arm with a look of disbelief. Then the air was broken by shrieks of agony as the man cradled the limb to his chest. Clarke stared in shock and horror, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene. Blood was spurting and pouring out of the thief’s wrist, soaking the ground and the man.

 

Indra then spoke to the guard, her tone completely remorseless. “Delphi, bring Lead to the Sky Girl so she can attend to him.”

 

Anya immediately called out to her Chief, pulling the stricken blonde with her, “she is here, Indra. I will take her and the thief to the healer’s hut.”

 

Clarke forced herself out of her shocked state as she looked at the man lying in distress before her.

 

“Wells, give me your shirt,” Clarke demanded in a detached, professional tone. Her best friend appeared to not have heard her as he continued to stare at the thief. His face was pale, Clarke wondered if he was going to feint. “Wells!”

 

Seeing that the exclamation did nothing, Anya pulled a small knife from her boot and cut the shirt off of the Sky Boy. This brought him back to the present, but still looking unwell. Clarke ignored her best friend and focused on the task before her.

 

The healer delved into her medical knowledge her mother taught her and muttered the instructions for tending to the wound. “Wrap the wound. Push up against the amputated area hard as possible. Keeps sensation in the nerves. Prevents hemorrhaging. Tie off. Keep clean.” Over and over she mumbled these words to herself as she carried out the instructions.

 

“Come, Sky Girl. We need to get to the healer’s hut,” Any said after Clarke had tied off the makeshift tourniquet. The blonde nodded numbly. The female warrior pulled Wells over and forced him to help her carry the man, who had passed out a moment before.

 

In a daze, the healer hurried ahead of the injured man to prepare to change his bandage for a clean one. She barely spared a glance at Marek, whose gaze went from light confusion to deep concern as he saw all the blood on Clarke’s clothes.

 

“Clarke, what’s wrong?”

 

The blonde didn’t bother answering as she grabbed many of the clean towels, some hot wet ones that were simmering in the pot over the fire, and several pieces of leather. Marek’s questions were answered as Anya and Wells entered the hut and set the limbless man on the closest to them.

 

“Clarke, what do you need?” the teenage boy asked, but his best friend moved right past him and began attending to the unconscious man.

 

“Nothing right now, but be ready in case he wakes up and starts moving before I’m finished.”

 

Clarke ignored everyone around her as she focused intensely on quickly and efficiently changing the bandage. Just as she finished tying the last knot, the door to the hut opened and the blonde looked at the stranger striding towards her.

 

Anya gave the man a curt nod. “ _Heya_ , Nyko. Welcome home.”

 

The large, burly man with a wild beard and tattoos curving around his face greeted the warrior with their traditional handshake. “What have I missed?”

 

Clarke felt her mother’s lessons in professionalism take over as she gave her report emotionlessly. “Violent amputation of the left hand. The cut was clean and I’ve been able to tie off the wound, but it’ll need to be changed soon. The bandages were uncontaminated, but we won’t know until later if there is any infection or the extent of the damage to his nerves.”

 

If Nyko wondered who the blonde was or how she was so well trained at such a young age, he didn’t question it at the moment. He simply examined the wound and bandages. “This is good dressing. You saved him from bleeding out.”

 

Clarke didn’t bother thanking the healer for the compliment. “Do you need me for anything else?”

 

Nyko raised an eyebrow at the abrupt question, but shook his head. Clarke felt her need to leave reach the breaking point as she excused herself from the hut. The blonde made it all of twelve paces to the back of the building before she emptied the contents of her stomach in the grass.

 

A voice from behind Clarke startled her. “Aren’t healers supposed to have stronger constitutions?”

 

The blonde’s glare would have killed Anya on the spot if she had the ability to do so. “What the fuck was that?”

 

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” was Anya’s reply. “What made you believe it was a good idea to try and interfere? You may be an idiot, but I did not think you had a death wish.”

 

Clarke stared at the warrior in disbelief. “Indra just chopped off some guy’s hand and you are asking what’s wrong with me?”

 

Anya shrugged her shoulders, her face empty of any sympathy. “Leod stole from the village coffers. This was his third time being caught stealing. He knew what would happen if he was found out.”

 

Clarke took several steps towards Anya, shaking with self-righteous anger. “But to cut off his hand? That’s barbaric!”

 

There was a long, long pause after Clarke’s exclamation. Anya’s expression turned cold and lethal as she stepped so close to the blonde that the two women were almost nose to nose. With narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw, the older warrior spoke carefully and measured. “And tell me, princess, what do the high and mighty Sky People do to those who steal? Do you give them a slap on their wrist? Do you give them a hug? Or do you allow disorder and lawlessness run rampant in the sky?”

 

Clarke opened her mouth and almost gave Anya an answer, but when she realized what she was going to say, she snapped her jaw shut. All the self-righteous anger the teenager had burning inside of her evaporated so quickly that it felt as if someone had plunged her heart into an ice bath.

 

Anya raised an eyebrow at the lack of a response from the normally snappy blonde. “Well? I’m waiting, princess. Tell me how you and your people are so much better than us. Teach me how we barbarians can be more like the perfect _Skaikru_.” Clarke remained silent. “Be careful, Clarke of the Sky People, on voicing your harsh judgments so quickly. You will live longer—longer even, if you open your mind to ideas beyond your limited upbringing.”

 

With that, Anya turned and stalked off. Clarke slowly sunk to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself. She felt so drained, so empty, but it was steadily being filled with homesickness and loneliness.

 

Later that night, long after the village had gone to sleep, Clarke awoke with a sharp pain in her chest and tears falling down her cheeks. The nightmare was slowly fading away, but the blonde knew it had to do with her mother, Raven, her people, the Ark. She felt such despair over the separation from her people and all that was familiar. It was finally hitting her that there was a real chance that she would never see them again. That she and Wells could be on their own for the rest of their lives—however long those lives would be. As a sudden desperation to cling to what was known and tangible of their home invaded her, Clarke quietly slipped from her bed and lay down next to Wells. The teenage boy woke upon the intrusion into his bed, but didn’t question it when he realized Clarke was crying. He didn’t speak, seeming to understand what was upsetting his friend. He allowed her to latch onto an arm and grip him tightly as the two friends mourned the loss of their home together.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Translations:  
> Plan = woman  
> Strikon = little one  
> Komfoni = grandmother  
> Mochof = thank you  
> Skaigada = sky girl  
> Hainofi = princess  
> Heya = hello  
> Heya, ai laik Klark kom Skaikru = Hello, my name is Clarke of the Sky People


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is why I never promised to keep a schedule on chapter updates. Sorry for taking so long and I really hope I can get the next one out much sooner. Thanks for sticking around, my loves!
> 
> Thanks for ritavrataski for beta-ing!!!
> 
> Warning: Violence

Chapter Six

 

The Ark had a few workout rooms for the inhabitants to use. Clarke’s favorite one that she and Raven often used had an observation deck. It had a large window that looked out at the stars and distant planets with treadmills in front of it, and the two friends ran before classes almost every morning. The blonde disliked most forms of exercise, as opposed to Raven, who loved working out only second to building or blowing things up. However, running was one the one workout she had truly enjoyed. She would turn on her favorite music and tune everyone and everything out. It cleared her mind and prepared her for whatever was happening that day.

 

Raven had been the one to introduce running to Clarke, after her dad died from a heart attack four years before. Emptying her mind and body of the grief and pain she was feeling was one of the only forms of escape she had until she was able to overcome even Nathan Miller’s best mile time by a full minute.

 

On Earth’s surface, Clarke was running through the dense forest of the Woods Clan, weaving in and out of trees faster than she had ever moved in her life. Normally, the fifteen year old would probably be thinking about how grateful she was that Raven had forced her into the gym years ago. However, that thought was lost as her brain was urging her to move faster as she ran for her life.

 

Clarke couldn’t tell if the terrifying whooping and yelping sounds she heard echoing around her was real or in her head, but either way she willed her body to move faster. She heard the sound of water ahead of her and wiped away the blood dripping in her eyes form the gash on her forehead to see a stream several yards ahead of her. The blonde was glad it wasn’t a river since she couldn’t swim. She pumped her legs harder and jumped off a small bank and splashed into the water.

 

A piercing scream tore from her throat as she was grabbed from behind and pulled against the overhanging bank. The screams were muffled as a hand covered her mouth. Wild, panicking blue eyes took several seconds to realize she was struggling against Marek’s strong grip and stopped shouting. Marek was holding a finger against his lips, silently telling Clarke to remain quiet. As calm as the hunter was, Clarke could see the absolute fear that filled his brown eyes.

 

The fifteen year old listened carefully, trying to tune out the water trickling around them. She heard a few twigs snapping and bushes rustling. It sounded like quite a few people were milling around nearby, possibly searching for the objects of their chase. Clarke felt her veins turn to ice, never having known such fear could exist. She trembled against Marek, clutching the bit of linen that was sticking out of his leather jerkin.

 

The two of them didn’t move a muscle until those…things had given up their search and ran off with a few whoops and yells. When silence descended around them, Clarke collapsed into the water and mud, tears falling down her face from both terror and relief.

 

With shaking hands, she gripped her hair, trying to force herself to calm down. “Oh, my God. Oh, God. Oh, my, God.”

 

Marek knelt in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. “You are okay, Clarke. You are alive. Everything is fine. I need you to breathe for me, all right?”

 

The blonde nodded and pulled air in through her nose and emptied her lungs slowly a few times before she felt more in control of her body. Marek gave her an encouraging smile. “Good job, Clarke. You will be fine.”

 

The Sky Girl, before she could even think about what she was doing, flung her arms around the older boy and hugged him fiercely. “Thank you.”

 

She felt the hunter chuckle quietly as he hugged her back. “You did not think I would let my savior die, now did you?”

 

The embrace lasted for several moments before Clarke pulled away and rested her back against the embankment.

 

“We should not stay here. We need to find Anya and Wells and get back to the village. We will be safe there,” Marek stated. He stood, offering his hand to Clarke and helped her up.

 

She wordlessly followed him and thought about how things went so wrong.

 

_Marek had met Clarke and Wells at the village gates early that morning. The Sky People’s excitement was slightly dampened when they saw Anya at the hunter’s side. The warrior explained that she wasn’t going to let two inexperienced children trampling through the forest get her village’s best hunter killed. While not happy about it, Clarke knew that it made sense. She hadn’t spoken to the older woman since their confrontation after the thief’s punishment, so she wasn’t expecting for her to join them on their mini-camping trip._

_However, Anya remained stoic and professional as they all made their way through the forest, keeping an eye out for any danger. Clarke and Wells remained ignorant of their environment as they were in absolute awe over the nature that surrounded them. Marek entertained them further with stories of growing up in these woods with Lincoln, even a few stories with Lexa before she had become Commander._

_Everything was going wonderfully until they stopped for lunch. They four of them met a traveler on the road, a trader who was coming from Polis and heading down to trade with the Desert Clan. He spoke broken English, but Clarke and Wells attempted to communicate with the native language they were slowly learning. The trader invited them to dine with him, so they went to a small opening in the forest to start a fire and eat._

_Anya was the first to notice that something was wrong. She stood and became alert when the trader was in the middle of speaking. Everyone watched her as she took in her surroundings._

_She turned to Marek. “Did you hear that?”_

_Clarke was confused as she stared at the Trikru. “What’s wrong?”_  
  


_“Shop of, hainofi,” Anya hissed. Clarke glared and opened her mouth to argue with the warrior, but was interrupted by a whooping sound echoing through the trees._

_Anya, Marek, and the trader went completely white at the noise._

_“Ripa!” Marek exclaimed. He turned to the Sky People. “We need to go. Now!”_

_The trader was already packing his bag. Clarke caught Anya telling the man to go to Tondc as she pulled her sword out of its sheath. Clarke noticed, for the first time, a glimmer of fear in the older woman’s eyes. The knowledge that whatever it was making those sounds that scared Anya made Clarke’s heart stop in terror. She didn’t know what a “ripa” was, but she knew they needed to get out of there._

_As she and Wells stood, Clarke saw a glimpse of red through the forest that seemed to be coming closer. The trader gave a hasty goodbye and turned to run off. Before he could take more than ten steps, a person dressed in red and black armor decorated with chains, jumped on him from seemingly out of nowhere. Clarke watched in absolute horror as a shout of terror erupted from the man, which was promptly silenced as the attacker bit the trader’s throat with his teeth, ripping the flesh open. Blood sprayed from the trader’s gullet, which only seemed to make his killer even more bloodthirsty as he began to chew on the open wound._

_It had all happened so fast that Clarke barely had time to cry out in shock and fear, before Marek grabbed her arm to drag her from the campsite. The blonde’s brain quickly caught up to what was actually happening, so she could keep pace with the hunter as all four of them moved as fast as they could._

_Clarke felt panic rise up in her as she heard more whooping sounds from behind them. Not daring to glance back, she looked around and saw Wells and Anya sprinting along with them. The girl opened her mouth to ask them what was happening, when pain exploded as something slammed into her from the side, throwing her right into a tree. Blood immediately sprang from a head wound. Clarke, dazed and frightened, tried to scramble away. However, she was pinned before she could gain any traction. She looked up at her attacker and her blood turned to ice from sheer terror. Above her was someone who could have been a man at one point, but deformities littered his features, despite the blood and white face paint covering much of his skin. The thing opened his mouth and let out a furious roar at the Sky Girl. Clarke noticed his teeth had been filed into points as his spit sprayed her face. Blood and tears trailed down her face, sure death was only seconds away._

_Suddenly her attacker was gone. Clarke quickly wiped her eyes clean and saw that Marek was frantically fighting with the creature. The younger girl stood to help._

_Marek threw the thing to the ground and turned to the healer. “Clarke! GO! Run!”_

_The blonde rushed forward instead and knocked the deformed man back down before he could attack Marek again. His head connected with a rock with a sickening sound, stopping all movement._

_Quickly glancing around, the blonde noticed that their companions were not with them. “Where are Wells and Anya?”_

_The hunter opened his mouth to reply, but the whooping sounds, which Clarke now knew to be coming from the creatures hunting them, were startlingly close by. The older boy pulled his bow from his back and knocked an arrow with two more in hand and ready to go. “Clarke, go! Run. Find a place to hide. I will find you.”_

_  
Clarke clutched Marek’s arm, her powerful grip fueled by adrenaline and terror. “I’m not leaving you.”_

_The hunter gave her a look that told Clarke not to argue with him. “I can hold them off while you escape. You have no fighting experience. You will be killed in seconds. Let me take out a few and I will track you down.” The whooping noises were now echoing all around them. “Now, Clarke! Go!”_

_The blonde stared into brown eyes for one long second, before she nodded and turned and ran._

 

Clarke was brought out of her reverie when Marek stopped and faced her. She gazed up at him questioningly as he brought a hand and gently traced the skin around her wound, with a concerned expression. “How is your head?”

 

The blonde felt touched at how worried the hunter appeared to be over what felt like a relatively minor injury. “I think it’ll be okay. It probably looks worse than it is.”

 

The archer nodded and they continued their trek through the forest. Marek occasionally knelt down and examined tracks and disturbed bushes. Clarke knew she should let him concentrate on finding Wells and Anya, but she could no longer hold her tongue. “What were those things?”

 

“ _Ripa_ ,” Marek whispered. Disgust and hatred dripped from his voice as his features contorted with anger. “Reaper in _gonasleng_.

 

“But what are they?”

 

Marek was silent for several moments. “No one really knows what they are—only what they do.”

 

Clarke’s mind flashed to the trader and how the Reaper had torn open the trader’s throat and had started chewing on it.

 

She didn’t dare voice what she was thinking. “What do they do?”

 

Marek examined a boot print in the mud. “Kill, a lot of the time. Sometimes they take people alive back into old world tunnels, where they live.” He paused for a long moment before continuing. “Other times…they feast on their victims, no matter if they are living or dead.”

 

The Sky Girl felt her stomach roil in disgust at what the hunter was telling her. “Cannibals?”

 

“Perhaps, but they would have to be human for that word to apply,” Marek stated. “Most of us do not think they are actually people. Rather, they are monsters created by the gods to punish the wicked.”

 

Clarke, who was still learning about the gods the Woods Clan worshipped, wondered which god they believe would be so cruel as to create such horrifying creatures. “What do you believe?”

 

Marek glanced at the younger girl, looking unsure how to answer her. “I am not sure what I believe them to be, but I do not waste too much time thinking about it. How they came to exist does not matter, only that they do. I have only encountered them a handful of times out in these woods, but never have I seen so many at once.”

 

Clarke remained silent as she attempted to process what had happened and what Marek had told her.

 

Over an hour passed as the two teenagers searched for Anya and Wells. The sun was nearing the horizon when Marek suggested they stop for the night.

 

“Stop? But what about Wells and Anya? We need to find them!” Clarke insisted as fear for her best friend’s safety filled her.

 

Marek, however, stood firm in his decision. “I cannot track anything in the dark, and it would dangerous to try. We need to stop and camp for the night. After resting, we can pick it up in the morning with fresh eyes.” Clarke bit her lip, wringing her hands worriedly. Marek placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Do not worry too much, Clarke. Anya will take care of Wells.”

 

Clarke scoffed. “Anya doesn’t care for either one of us. Why would she bother?”

 

The hunter shook his head, disagreeing with Clarke. “Whether she likes someone or not, she promised to watch out for all of us while out here. Anya is one of the most honorable warriors I know, as well as one of the most skilled. Wells could not be safer with anyone.”

 

That eased Clarke’s worry only a little, but she understood that there wasn’t anything she could do about it anyway.

 

Several minutes later, Marek had found them a place to sleep for the night next to the same stream where he had saved her earlier, which marked the beginning of Clarke’s lessons in camping. While much of it was stuff she remembered from Earth Skills class, it was nice to see everything done in practice rather than in theory. It only took her a few tries to get a fire going, after Marek had collected the wood and kindling. Next it was the shelter. The hunter showed her how to make a lean-to against a split bough tree with several logs leaning against it that acted as ribs. He then instructed her to cover the wooden frame with nearby vegetation and brush until there was no chance for air to get through the thick layers.

 

Once the fire was going and the shelter was done, it was nearly dark. Marek grabbed his bow and a few arrows, getting ready to go hunting for food. “I will not be long, Clarke,” he promised when he saw a flash of fear in the Sky Girl’s eyes at the thought of being alone. The blonde nodded, mustering up her bravery. Marek left her with a knife. “Just in case.”

 

Then, Clarke was left alone with nothing but the flames for company. Fear still prickled through her, at the memory of the Reapers, which made her jump at every strange sound, knuckles white as she gripped the knife. She found herself looking at the stars, hoping to find some comfort from her home. She imagined the Ark passing over the Earth, looking down on the planet with their happy fantasies of what it would be like. So often they thought of the Edenic place that would provide them with an abundance of resources and happiness.

 

 _What could be worse than worrying about running out of water every day? Or food? Or medicine?_ Clarke thought with a bitter laugh. _If only they knew._

Clarke was wracked with guilt as she thought, for only a second, that perhaps her people were better off not knowing the ground was habitable. She knew that this was one bad incident in what had been a relatively safe few weeks while on Earth. She was living in an established village with people experienced in surviving on the ground, but that’s not what it would be like for those on the Ark. What happened that day truly woke the blonde up to the dangers that the planet presented.

 

 _The kinds of dangers my people would face, like the reapers. Is it worth it?_ Clarke asked herself.

 

As much as she missed her mother, Raven, everyone, was she being selfish in wanting to bring them down into such treacherous world? To have them enter a land where two people have been at war for generations? How many of her own people would die at the hands of Reapers, Mountain Men, or the _Kongeda_? At least the obstacles they faced on the Ark were familiar.

 

Clarke’s musings were broken by Marek’s arrival, a brace of rabbits in hand. He grinned at the younger girl. “See? I was quite fast, if I do say so myself.”

 

The Sky Girl gave a weak smile in return, but said nothing. Marek’s grin faltered, looking slightly troubled while starting to prep the meat. Clarke knew she should be paying attention to how the hunter was preparing their food, but she couldn’t muster the focus required to do so. She was so lost in thought, in fact, that she was startled when Marek presented the cooked animal to her. She thanked him quietly and accepted the meal.

 

The older boy sat down beside her, nibbling on his food before speaking. “Is it only your concern for Wells that bothers you, Clarke? Or is there something else?”

 

The blonde took several moments to answer, thinking carefully. “It’s both. I can’t lose Wells. He’s been in my life since we were born and I care for him dearly, but he’s also my last connection to our home. If I lose him, then it’ll be like losing everyone I care about back on the Ark all over again.” She took a few bites from her rabbit before continuing, forcing herself to focus on chewing and swallowing to avoid the tears prickling behind her eyes from falling at the thought of those she missed. “Today really opened my eyes to what life is actually like down here. I know you told me that there is more out here to fear than just the Mountain Men, whom I’ve never encountered, but it all seemed so fantastic to me. Earth is something we grew up thinking was a paradise. No, I’m sorry, I take that back. Not entirely perfect. We carry knowledge of the Old World and used it to prepare the next generations as much as possible for the return to the surface, with the awareness of the dangers we could face, but our generation isn’t meant to return to Earth. And so, we couldn’t help but see this as an idyllic place.”

 

Clarke stared into the flames. She pictured her old Earth Skills class, or hearing Thelonious discuss guard training with her parents during their monthly dinners. She was old enough to know what kind of problems occurred on the Ark, especially with the Chief Surgeon as her mother. Water shortages occurred often, medicine rationed, reliance on century old technology to produce oxygen, and the dangers of repairing that kind of technology during spacewalks. It was all dangerous.

 

“Every day, my people face death in many different forms. A way to cope with the knowledge of the fragility of life is to look at the blue planet we orbit and see it as this natural utopia,” Clarke continued. “Full of resources, nature, beauty, and, most importantly, all of it ours to use and live in.”

 

Clarke was so deep in thought that Marek eventually spoke up. “I am not sure what your point is, _fisa_. That you do not wish to shatter the illusions your people have of what life is like here?”

 

The blonde frowned. She was frustrated that she wasn’t sure she could find a way to make Marek understand. A few more minutes passed when an idea struck her. She turned to the hunter and made sure they maintained eye contact. “Marek, I want you to imagine a nightmare of yours coming true—that you have been kidnapped by the Mountain Men.” Brown eyes widened as fear flickered in them, but he remained silent. “Your people believe death awaits those who are taken. But what if you didn’t die? What if you were alive, but trapped and you wanted to find a way to contact your people? So you search high and low until you do. You speak to your people and ask them to come save you and you are reunited once again.” Marek nodded, following along. “However, to contact your people, to tell them where you are and that you are alive, could possibly mean death to many, if not all, of them. Would you do it? Could you?”

 

Marek took several moments before answering, his intelligent brown eyes turning over the hypothetical scenario over and over. He eventually met blue irises with a grim expression. “I would like to think I would not. We are taught, as _gona_ , that we may have to die so that our families and loved ones and villages can live and flourish. It is an honor to die for those you love, for your home.” Clarke knew he wasn’t done speaking as he paused to slowly chew a bite of his food. “However, being trapped inside the Mountain is a nightmare that every single one of my people has had their whole lives. I cannot say for certain what I would and would not be willing to do in that situation. I would like to think I would choose to not contact my people, but I cannot say with any certainty that I would not give into temptation.”

 

Clarke nodded, but she was now no closer to an answer to her quandary than she was before she posed her question. Her head throbbed painfully, from both her thoughts and her wound. She excused herself to go to bed, but Marek stopped her, saying they needed to clean the cut on her forehead.

 

After rinsing a piece of ripped cloth from the hunter’s clothes as best he could, Marek gently cupped Clarke’s chin and began cleaning the gash. The blonde flushed at how close they were, unable to quell the butterflies erupting in her stomach or slow her heart down as she inhaled the older boy’s scent. Underneath the musk of the exertion from the active day, he smelled like pine trees, which the Sky Girl knew was from the kind of soap that the traders in Tondc sold. Mixed with that, though, was the scent of the air after an early morning rainfall. It was heady combination for the younger teenager, so she closed her eyes to stop herself before she did something mortifying, like openly breathing Marek in.

 

She was so focused on controlling her hormones that it took a few moments to realize that the hunter had stopped cleaning her injury. She opened her eyes to see slightly dilated brown ones staring into hers. Clarke was so mesmerized by the gold flecks that seemed to swirl around Marek’s irises that it took a moment for the blonde to realize that he was ever so slowly leaning closer to her. Her heart and lungs stopped working simultaneously as she realized what Marek’s intention was, but before she could make a decision to move towards or away from him, a chilling howl tore through the air around them, causing the two teenagers to fly apart.

 

Clarke instinctively grabbed her knife; Marek was already on his feet with his bow ready by the time Clarke stood. Her lungs and heart jump started as fear of the unknown danger flooded her again. A few more howls joined in, which Clarke couldn’t identify in her confusion. Her body refused to relax, even as Marek lowered his weapon and sighed in relief.

 

He gave her a reassuring look, hoping to calm his companion. “It is only a few wolves, Clarke. They will not approach us so long as we keep the fire going.” Clarke forced back her fear and nodded, willing her body to calm down. “You should go to sleep,” Marek continued. “I will keep watch throughout the night and tend to the fire.”

 

“No way, Marek,” Clarke protested. “That’s not fair. We were up really early today, and we’ll be walking all day tomorrow to find Anya and Wells before heading back to Tondc. You’ll be exhausted.”

 

The hunter held up his hands to stem any further arguments. “As a _gona_ , I am trained to function on little sleep. I will be fine going without it for one night. You have no experience in keeping watch to do it in shifts. You would not know what to look for, anyway. Sleep, Clarke. You are safe for now.”

 

Stubborn blue eyes held unmovable brown ones until the Sky Girl relented, exhaustion seeping deep into her bones, all the way to her core. She climbed into the lean-to and lay down on the large leaf litter. Using her arm for a pillow, Clarke fell into an uneasy sleep, filled with nightmares she would not remember the next day.

 

“WELLS!”

 

Clarke ran up to her best friend and threw her arms around him, pulling into a long, desperate hug.

 

Marek had tracked Anya and Wells to the road not too far from where they had first encountered the Reapers a few hours after the sun had risen. Clarke did not bring up the almost kiss from the night before and neither did Marek. After they found the tracks leading to the road, the hunter declared that they should head back to Tondc, as it was likely that Anya and Wells were there.

 

Marek had turned out to be right and Clarke saw Wells waiting for her just inside the gates of the village. The reunion was emotional as they both held back the tears of relief and worries of what could have been.

 

A voice interrupted the embrace. “I told you, Sky Boy. Marek knows what he’s doing out there. Your friend is unharmed.”

 

Clarke pulled away from her friend and saw Sonja standing a few yards away from them with Anya by her side.

 

“I will always worry about Clarke,” Wells replied. Anya rolled her eyes at his declaration and muttered something that suspiciously sounded like “lover boy” before turning to leave.

 

The blonde excused herself, quickly catching up to Anya, causing a look of slight annoyance on her sharp features. “Yes, _hainofi_.”

 

Clarke’s expression was absolute sincerity as she spoke to the female warrior. “Wells is like a brother to me, he is also the last piece of our home I have. He is most likely the only other Sky Person I will see for the rest of my life. Thank you for keeping him safe. It means more to me than you could possibly understand.” The blonde extended her arm, hoping the older woman would take it. After a moment of stoic silence, Anya finally clasped Clarke’s arm. Rather than letting go after a few seconds, Clarke spoke once again. “I am also sorry for my harsh words the other day. I had no right to judge your people, especially after you have all been so generous to Wells and me.”

 

The Sky Girl wanted to believe the flicker she saw in Anya’s eyes was respect, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up. The woman let go of Clarke’s arm. “What do you know, she can learn.” Anya’s lips lifted up in a smirk. “Use that brain of yours to learn how to survive in the wild. I am going to guess that you and your friend will not want to remain here for the rest of your days. It will not be so dangerous, if you know what you are doing and how to defend yourself.”

 

Before Clarke could utter a response, the warrior turned and walked away. She stared after her for a moment before rejoining Wells, hugging her friend once again. Clarke knew Anya was right. She couldn’t let what happened on their first day outside the village stop them from learning how to survive on the ground. What transpired only reinforced her decision to do whatever she could to keep her and Wells safe.

 

She glanced at Marek, who was speaking with Sonja, most likely explaining what had occurred over the last few days. Clarke knew whom she wanted to show her to survive, and a small part of her told her that the hunter would be a willing teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Trikru: Tree People  
> Shop of: Shut up  
> Hainofi: Princess  
> Ripa: Reaper  
> Gonasleng: warrior-language; English  
> Kongeda: Coalition  
> Fisa: Healer  
> Gona: Warrior


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, no excuse besides writing is hard and Mass Effect Andromeda came out...so yeah. Sorry, loves! Hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Note: I've been getting some questions regarding ages in this story. In my version, Clarke is, as of this chapter, 16. Lexa is 20. In the show, even though they don't explicitly give her age, I always thought Lexa was no older than 22, making her 4 to 5 years older than Clarke. Given what all she has had to accomplish in this story, it seemed unrealistic for her to be 16 or 17 and able to have convinced all the clans to join together under her leadership. So, to make it a bit more believable in my head, I kept her 4 to 5 years older than Clarke. For reasons that will become apparent waaaaaay down the line in the third installment of this trilogy, I made Clarke younger in this story. This whole series will take place over several years. Remember, this is a slooooooow burn. Like, watching a large pot of water try to boil on simmer. If you're looking for Clarke and Lexa to get together any time soon, you will be quite disappointed. I hope you all keeps reading, but I understand that slow burns aren't for everyone. I can only try my best to make this story, and Clarke and Lexa's love story, believable and worth it.
> 
> As always, thanks to my beta, Ritavrataski, for making me look like an intelligent writer :)

Chapter Seven

 

**One Month Later**

 

Marek’s stifled laughter reached Clarke’s ears, despite his attempts to muffle it.

 

The blonde glared into the winking sunlight that streamed through the canopy of leaves above her. She took a few deep breaths, pushing away the ache in her back from falling from yet another tree. It was her third one that week alone.

 

She slowly sat up and turned her scowl towards the hunter, still up in the tree she fell from. “Isn’t there some rule that a teacher can’t laugh when a student of his isn’t able to grasp a subject?”

 

Marek grinned down at the girl, teasing and humor behind his eyes. “That is not a rule I have ever heard of before. Perhaps that is just a _Skaikru_ law.”

 

Clarke continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Also, doesn’t my consistent failure reflect poorly on my teacher? Maybe my inability to stay up in a tree is because you are a bad tutor?”

 

Marek jumped from the branch he was sitting on with grace and control that Clarke could only dream of achieving. He offered his hand to her to help her up. “I think it has more to do with the fact that my student spent her whole life living inside a metal box than it does with my ability to teach.”

 

Stubbornly slapping the proffered hand away, Clarke stood up without any assistance. “Whatever.”

 

“Are you okay to continue?”

 

Clarke didn’t miss the concerned tone and the worry behind brown irises. Unable to stop the smile that pulled at her lips, the blonde placed a reassuring hand on the hunter’s bicep. “I’m fine, Marek. I’m just giving you shit.”

 

The older boy glanced down where they were touching and a blush worked its way up the Sky Girl’s face as she removed her hand. Although nothing had occurred since their almost kiss a month ago in the woods after Clarke’s first encounter with the Reapers, she would be a fool to believe that the intense attraction she felt towards Marek was one sided. She had caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking and their eyes meeting far more often than necessary (often leading both to look away as Clarke furiously tried to force her blush from rising). It was also becoming more common for their touches lingered longer than what would be considered platonic in both _Trikru_ and _Skaikru_ social customs.

 

The blonde cleared her suddenly dry throat and nodded her head. “Let’s keep going. I want to conquer this tree before the end of the day.”

 

Marek grinned as he was clearly glad his student was so persistent in her learning. “Very well, but we will only go a little past midday today for this lesson. Tonight, you’re going to hunt for our dinner on your own.”

 

Clarke’s eyebrows rose. She asked the hunter if he were sure she was ready to do this task by herself.

 

“I have the utmost faith in you, Clarke,” Marek assured the Sky Girl. “You are second only to me in your natural ability with a bow and you have picked up moving about the forest floor must faster than I expected for someone who had no experience in surviving in the wilderness.”

 

The blonde beamed as the praise from Tondc’s best hunter washed over her. She always had quite a bit more self-confidence compared to many teenagers her age, but it was always a relief to receive validation from someone whose opinion held a lot of weight.

 

They spend the rest of the afternoon climbing trees. The younger girl had assumed, naively, that ascending the tall plants would have been the easiest lesson to learn. The burning ache in her arms and legs, the cuts from the rough bark, and the embarrassing number of times she’s fallen out of a tree showed her otherwise. However, despite the challenge, Clarke was determined to succeed in all areas that Marek was teaching her.

 

He had been correct in his assessment of her archery skills. She wasn’t quite sure where it came from, but she wasn’t going to complain about her life being a little easier on the ground. Hunting itself was not difficult as a concept, but her ability to remain undetected to her prey needed a lot of work, in her opinion. Marek assured her that she was progressing quite well, especially given her background. Still, Clarke was not used to failing at something and she continued to work whenever she could to better herself.

 

Survival lessons with Marek were not the only areas she was working on. These moments with the older boy were not as often as she’d like since she was still working as the second healer. Nyko was naturally the one in charge and dealt with far more cases than Clarke, but the blonde wanted to make sure that she was learning as much as she could from the experienced healer. She was fascinated with the use of plants for medicinal purposes and soaked up everything Nyko had to offer. The Sky Girl even gave the older man several of her own pointers, such as CPR, new techniques in suturing, and alternative methods of sterilizing both wounds and equipment. While the _Trikru_ would not be ready to perform open heart surgery any time soon, Clarke was nevertheless very impressed with their abilities to heal. Nyko had been generous with his knowledge and even though he already had an apprentice, Artigas, he was patient with Clarke’s inexperience with herbal remedies.

 

One would think that being a healer as well as learning from Marek would be enough to run Clarke into the ground, but she still had cultural lessons with Sonja every night that she wasn’t in the woods with Marek. The old woman explained to her the history and customs of the _Trikru_ and answered many questions the blonde had about the other clans: who they were, their own traditions and political structures, and any differences in their dialect and accents. Clarke’s proficiency with _Trigedasleng_ was coming along quite rapidly. Nyko and Sonja would only communicate with her in their native language. Occasionally she would converse with Anya and Lincoln whenever she saw the warriors in what little free time they all had, but Marek and Wells were the only two she would consistently speak English to.

 

It wasn’t until she was by herself in the woods and a spare bow that Marek loaned her for their lessons that Clarke briefly allowed her mind to wander to her best friend. Things between them were strained. It was two weeks ago when they had a terrible fight.

 

For the first two weeks of lessons, both Wells and Clarke accompanied Marek into the surrounding forest to learn from him, but the Sky Boy soon grew frustrated with how slowly he was coming along compared to Clarke. He also admitted that the knowledge and memories of the conveniences and technology on the Ark aided in his growing vexation for what was required for living on the surface of the Earth. So, while his eventual resignation to learning anything more about hunting and survival should not have been too surprising, it led to the first real fight the two best friends had had not only on the ground, but it was the biggest one they’ve possibly ever had.

 

_“What do you mean you’re not going to do this anymore?”_

_Clarke felt white hot fury sear through her veins after Wells explained to Clarke why he would not be joining her and Marek on their morning hunt. They were in Sonja’s sitting area and the blonde was ready to go, but her friend wasn’t even dressed yet._

_The Chancellor’s son was slightly taken aback by the blonde’s outburst, but remained steadfast in his decision. “I am not getting any better than I was when we started, Clarke. Not only am I holding you back, but I absolutely loath what we’re doing. I cannot sit through another rainy day stuck in some bush waiting hours for just a chance at seeing an animal to hunt.”_

_Clarke could scarcely believe what she was hearing. “You have to be joking, Wells! You’re giving up on lessons that could save our lives in the future because you’re bored of the rain? We need Marek’s teachings if we are to survive on our own one day.”_

_Wells was insistent, however. “You are learning much faster than I am and you’re a natural with a bow, Clarke. You will be able to keep us alive and I’ll worry about finding the tech we need to contact the Ark. It’ll be fine.”_

_Clarke felt the urge to shake her best friend, but only barely refrained from doing so. “And if I get injured while we’re out there? What if I die? Those are very real possibilities, Wells. If something happens to me, you will have no idea how to survive. Or what if you die because you were caught in a situation where one of these lessons could have saved you?”_

_It went back and forth like that for a half an hour before Clarke stormed out of the hut, anger radiating off the blonde in waves. Marek took one look at the Sky Girl and said they would do target practice that day instead of hunting, knowing she would likely scare off any game nearby with her frustration._

As the weeks passed, Clarke felt resentment grow inside of her towards Wells for putting the responsibility for both of their lives in her hands without accepting any accountability for what could happen to them down the road. He continued to work with the blacksmith and even made Clarke and Marek hundreds of arrows for their hunting trips and target practice days, but that did little to quell the bitter feelings towards her best friend. They had barely spoken unless it was necessary. Clarke could easily excuse herself from spending any time with him since her duties as a healer and her lessons with Marek were more than enough to keep her busy from dusk until dawn.

 

Clarke shook herself out of her musings, mentally slapping herself getting so caught up in her head when she was supposed to be focusing on the hunt. She stepped through the forest as silently as she could, an arrow nocked and ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. She looked around for any signs of an animal that had recently been in the area. The blonde, upon finding the tracks of what she thought was a spruce grouse, she set out tracking it. It took a few tries and going back to find the tracks again, but she eventually came to the base of a small pine tree. At the base of it was a nest and Clarke knew that she had successfully found the bird’s home. She glanced up and saw a branch low enough to easily reach for someone of her skill level. The blonde climbed up and situated herself until she was as comfortable as she could be, then kept her eyes on the area around the nest, patiently waiting for the bird to return. It shouldn’t be too long, she figured, since it was getting dark and predators would be coming out soon.

 

It took longer than she expected it to, but just as the sun dipped below the horizon, Clarke saw the bird make its way to its nest. She drew an arrow and took aim, remembering to slow her breathing to keep her arms from moving too much before releasing.

 

Marek’s grinning face greeted the blonde when she returned to their camp less than thirty minutes later. Clarke was bursting with excitement. It may not seem like much to those who had been hunting their whole life, but the younger teenager felt more proud of herself than she had when she successfully stitched up a patient without her mother’s guidance at the age of twelve. Perhaps it was because this accomplishment was something that Clarke had, from start to finish, achieved without any assistance from a parent. Her medical knowledge and skill was inherited from her mother and her ability to problem solve came from her father; but hunting all on her own? That was all Clarke.

 

Marek was equally proud and happily consumed the food Clarke had prepared them using a recipe that Sonja had taught her. It did not taste great, the blonde knew that as cooking was not a strong skill set of hers, but it was edible and cooked all the way through. If she needed, it was something that she could survive on if she were on her own.

 

The older hunter attempted to assuage her embarrassment at the meager spread. “It’s a meal fit for the Commander, Clarke. You did very well.”

 

She blushed at the compliments, adding that he had taught her well. Not much else was spoken between them for the rest of the night. Marek insisted on cleaning up the campsite before they climbed into their separate bedrolls.

 

As she listened to the sound of her companion rustling around, she lay back and folded her arms behind her head to get a better look at the stars above her. Clarke still missed her home a great deal, but she found herself missing the people more so than the Ark itself. She loved the open space the Earth offered and the gorgeous vistas she scrambled to sketch. While she struggled with certain aspects of the culture of those born on the ground as well as with their language, she found herself enjoying the majority of her time among them. She met all kinds in the village as one of their healers and most were incredibly thankful towards her, after they got over their initial suspicion of the native English speaker.

 

But it was the quiet moments in the dark, with nothing but sound of the wind and chirping insects that Clarke felt hollow from loneliness. Of course she had Wells, even if they were not getting along these last few weeks she still loved him, but she was still a teenage girl. Despite the annoyance at her mother’s attempts to keep Clarke a child in many ways that was often met with exclamations of needing more independence, the blonde found herself overcome with a need for her mother. To be hugged in the way that mothers just seem to know how to hug that made everything better. Clarke’s sixteenth birthday was a week ago and that night she thought the sorrow and isolation that was always simmering beneath the surface would consume her. What the Sky Girl wouldn’t give to feel her mother’s arms wrap around her and give her much needed wisdom and advice.

 

Clarke glanced at Marek as he brushed his teeth before settling into his bedroll for the night. The feelings she had for him were stronger than any she had felt for anyone else and more than anything she wanted to talk to someone about them. The sixteen year old knew she couldn’t go to Wells, at least not while they were in disagreement. Even though he had hugged her on her birthday and gifted her with a beautiful leather braided necklace with gold thread intertwined that he had made at the blacksmith which she had yet to take off, it hadn’t done much to alleviate the tension between them. She thought about approaching Lincoln, as she could have handled the gentle teasing, but the blonde still did not feel close enough to discuss romantic relationships with the soldier yet. Anya’s face flashed in her head one night and she had actually laughed out loud when she was alone in her bedroom at the thought. While the female warrior had become slightly more tolerable, Clarke knew she would never live it down if she approached Anya seeking relationship advice. She had thought to ask Sonja, but every time she tried, the words stuck in her throat.

 

So Clarke was stuck with trying to work out how to go about her feelings on her own. She was tempted to work on it before falling asleep, but she was far too tired from climbing trees and successfully hunting on her own for the first time.

 

She looked up once more at the older boy, who met her gaze. His irises were filled with such obvious affection, taking the blonde by surprise that she almost missed what he said. “ _Reshop_ , Clarke.”

 

The Sky Girl felt her lips curl up in a soft, equally affectional smile. “ _Reshop_ , Marek.”

 

 

Clarke’s eyes flew open to the dark canvas of stars above her. Her heart jumped into her throat at the sudden intrusion of her sleep, but she calmed when she saw that it was only Marek’s gentle hand on her shoulder that had woken her.

 

The blonde felt concern blossom in her chest. “Is something wrong, Marek? It’s the middle of the night.” She instinctively reached for the small knife she kept under her pillow.

 

Clarke could barely make out the soft smile on the hunter’s face and it eased her worry. “No, _fisa_ , nothing is wrong. Would you be willing to come with me? There is something I wish to show you.”

 

“Now?” the Sky Girl questioned with raised eyebrows. “Can’t it wait until morning?”

 

Marek was shaking his head before she had finished speaking. “It cannot. I am sorry for disturbing your sleep, but I believe you will think it will be worth it.”

 

It took Clarke only a few seconds of debate before acquiescing. She stood from her bedroll and shivered at the cooler night air. Sonja had said that this spring was beginning to look like a much warmer one than usual, the night often showed a drop in temperatures that Clarke and Wells were not used to.

 

Marek silently handed her a jacket he pulled from his pack. The sixteen year old smiled gratefully. “You planned this?”

 

He grabbed a large sack from his things and shouldered it. “I did. I have wanted to show you this since we first went beyond the village walls, but it only happens after the spring rains begin. I also have been waiting for you to become better acquainted with the forest.”

 

Clarke’s curiosity was piqued and she felt a prickle of excitement course through her, waking her up more fully. “Can I get a hint?” Marek only chuckled in reply and began walking away from the campsite. “What’s in the bag?”

 

“Patience, _Skai Gada_.”

 

Clarke was having a hard time keeping up with the hunter. She hadn’t traveled much in the dark and her senses were not as attuned to the forest at night like Marek’s were. After stumbling for the third time, the hunter stopped and slowly reached for his companion.

 

Wrapping her hand in Marek’s was more instinctive than anything, but the slow fire spreading from his calloused hands, chasing away the chill night air, was more than welcomed. He smiled gently at her. “Do you trust me, Clarke?”

 

The blonde’s response was immediate. “Of course I do.”

 

“I need you to close your eyes. Fear not, I will guide us the rest of the way.”

 

Clarke couldn’t make out his face in the dark, but she imagined it looking earnest and soft. She closed her eyes, barely feeling nervous about being led in the dark through the forest.

 

She didn’t stumble once as Marek led them through the woods, moving her when necessary to avoid a stray rock or root. While Clarke couldn’t see, she could hear the various sounds of nature that surrounded them as insects chirped, a wolf howled far in the distance, and a few night birds making themselves known to potential mates. After a few minutes, the blonde heard the slow trickle of a stream reach her ears.

 

“You’re not going to push me into a river are you?” Clarke joked. Her inability to swim was something that greatly amused Marek, who couldn’t believe there weren’t any bodies of water where she was from.

 

The hunter chuckled lightly. “I would never do that at night, _fisa_. I would wait until the day so the sun would allow me to see the expression on your face.”

 

“Ha-ha. You are so funny,” Clarke stated sarcastically. “Are we almost there?”

 

“Close.” Not even a minute later, Marek stopped the both of them and Clarke felt him move in front of her. “Are you ready, _Skai Gada_?”

 

Clarke cocked her head curiously. “What am I supposed to be ready for?”

 

She could hear the grin in Marek’s voice. “You can open your eyes now.”

 

The blonde did so immediately and a loud gasp left her lips. Clarke had expected to see darkness in the moonless night, but instead she was surrounded by one of the most beautiful sights she’s ever seen. She was bathed in iridescent light that came from the plants and moss that covered the forest floor and trees. Gleaming vines clung and crawled up the trees and shimmering moss were splayed out over the rocks along the shore of the stream flowing by. Clarke walked towards a large tree stump that held a small garden of stunning flowers glistening as they swayed gently in the breeze. Greens and blues and yellows shined before her, their light bouncing off stream. The Sky Girl saw something move in her periphery and turned to catch it. With wide eyes, she saw a swarm of butterflies soaring above them, their wings glowing as powerfully as the flora they fed from.

 

Clarke didn’t look away from the astounding beauty around her, but also couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “What is this?” She was unable to stop herself from whispering, not daring to disturb the ethereal scene.

 

Marek must have felt the same as he murmured his answer just as quietly. “We call it the Glowing Den. There are a few areas in our forests, but this one is my favorite. These are the first of the flowers to bloom in the forest after a few rainfalls. We are probably one of the first to come out here since late last summer.”

 

Clarke’s analytical brain knew the plants and animals were glowing from a mutated strain as a result of the radiation left over from the nuclear bombs all those years ago, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. This was the most incredible place she has ever stepped foot in and the artist side of her won out as she soaked up the beauty around her.

 

She walked up to a large stump that had various plants and flowers and touched them. They felt like any other plant, but their radiance stunned her. The blonde could scarcely believe what she was seeing was real and was so entranced that only Marek’s gentle grasp of her hand pulled her from her reverie.

 

“I have a gift for you, Clarke.”

 

She turned to meet his eyes. “This is already the most incredible place you have shown me, Marek. What more could you give?”

 

The hunter grinned, his white teeth gleaming in the light. Clarke’s breath caught in her lungs and she could only think about how…beautiful he was. Her fingers itched to capture this image of him: a carefree smile on his lips as he gazed at her with open adoration as the ethereal light danced across his dark skin.

 

The Sky Girl was so caught up in staring that she had to ask the hunter to repeat himself when she realized she hadn’t heard his answer. “I can give you a more practical gift.” He knelt down and began untying the sack he had brought along. Clarke watched him curiously, lost for what he would want to give her. “I wanted to wait until you hunted on your own successfully for the first time and I was glad you did so tonight since it allowed for me to give it to you here.”

 

Marek pulled out a beautiful recurve bow and silently handed it to Clarke, a nervous expectant expression on his face.

 

The blonde stared at the bow, her mouth open slightly in awe. It was a beautiful weapon made from black wood and perfectly weighted. She ran her fingers along the smooth shape, which was only broken by the intricately detailed carving of vines that wrapped around upper and lower limb painted silver. At each of the two tips was another silver carving, these ones were eight pointed stars.

 

Clarke was in awe of what she held and she must have been silent for too long as Marek started to nervously ramble, something the blonde had never seen him do before.  “It is okay if you do not like it, but it is yours to do what you want. I could make you a different one if you would like. I made it for your measurements though, so if you want to use it in the meantime, you may.”

 

The sixteen year old whipped her head up at his words, eyes round with surprise. “You made this? Not the blacksmith?”

 

The hunter was wringing his hands as he answered. “I did. As soon as I saw how much of a natural you were with a bow, I wanted to make you something as a gift for getting your first kill. Sentimental, perhaps, but since you don’t have a bow of your own—”

 

Marek had stopped talking. He stopped because Clarke had suddenly surged forward and met his lips with her own.

 

The sounds of the forest surrounding them fell away and all Clarke could feel and hear was Marek. Her whole body felt like it had erupted into flames and doused in ice cold water at the same time. Her fingers burned as they touched his neck to hold him in place and the tips of the toes she was standing on to reach him tingled when he returned her kiss. She found it difficult to breathe as she felt the traces of his facial hair against her skin.

 

It wasn’t perfect. The glow from the plants had only provided enough light to see Marek’s face as their lips were slightly unaligned, but they quickly corrected themselves as the hunter wrapped his strong arms around Clarke’s waist and gently drew her closer. She instinctively pulled back slightly to gasp at the feel of his hard body against her softer one, but it was quickly swallowed as he leaned down to kiss her again. All thoughts ceased to exist and her heart beat wildly against her ribcage as they slowly explored each other.

 

Night and day could have come and gone several times over for all they knew before they eventually pulled away from each other out of necessity to breathe. Clarke willed her body to calm down. Marek appeared as dazed as she felt and she realized she had on a wide grin that matched his own.

 

“I have wanted to do that since the day after I met you,” he whispered, his fingers softly tracing her cheekbones.

 

Clarke chuckled at his confession. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you.”

 

“Oh? You have a thing for injured hunters?” he teased.

 

The blonde, with her confidence soaring, winked. “Only the really handsome ones.”

 

Marek laughed and drew her in for a tight hug. Clarke closed her eyes and took in everything around her. His strong hear beat, the warmth of his embrace, and the smell of the rain and forest. It was for the first time since they crashed on the ground many weeks ago that Clarke felt at peace—like everything was going to work out. It was one of the most magical moments of her life and damned if she wasn’t going to imprint in on her memory forever.

 

**The Ark**

Abigail Griffin stared at the lump on a bed in her apartment. The lights were off, as it was well past curfew, but she could still make out Clarke’s bedroom in the darkness.

 

 _Clarke’s old room_ she thought with a stab of sheer anguish digging through her ribcage. She forced herself to ignore the tears that were attempting to force their way out.

 

Instead, she grabbed the blanket and draped in further on top of the young girl occupying what used to be her daughter’s room. Raven Reyes. One of a handful of people on the Ark who had been able to make sure that Abby wasn’t going to die from malnutrition or allow the doctor to fall into oblivion from grief.

 

Abby knew it wasn’t fair to have such a young girl take care of a grieving older woman whom she wasn’t even related to, but the surgeon knew better than to try and deter the genius. Raven, like Abby, had no other family to turn to. Her father died before she was born and her mother was about as absent as one can be while stuck on a space station. At the moment, Abby needed someone around to ensure that she eats and Raven needed someone to take care of before her own sorrow swallowed her whole.

 

Besides, the doctor wasn’t sure she would be able to keep from going absolutely crazy in a silent apartment all alone. No husband. No child. Both dead. Her body felt empty, devoid of all feeling and emotion besides agony. That hollowness was the result of the violent, brutal destruction of everything she loved. All that was left was a spark for this young girl that was her daughter’s best friend. It was only just enough to keep her sane and, even if it hurt to look at Raven and see the memories of sleep overs and late night homework sessions with Clarke, Abby knew she would protect the genius with everything she had.

 

 _It’s what Clarke would have wanted_ she thought as the tears that had been on the brink of breaking free all night finally spilled over.

 

Abby knew she would never recover from the death of her family, but she still had people who cared about her and relied on her. An entire space station to keep healthy and Raven needed an adult who could provide her security and stability. She would never be able to replace Clarke, but perhaps between the two of them, they could help each other heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Different name, same blog!
> 
> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Skaikru: Sky People  
> Fisa: Healer  
> Skai Gada: Sky Girl


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loves, this was a loooong chapter to write. Almost 6500 words. That's almost 1500 more than my average chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and kudos so far, my loves! :) Those things are like crack to me so keep them coming. If you're shy, send me an anon or a private message on my Tumblr. I love to talk about my fics, other fics, and fandoms in general! 
> 
> Anyways, allons y to chapter eight!

Chapter Eight

 

**Two Months Later**

 

The weeks and months passed. Summer had taken hold of the forest and the days became staggeringly hot while the nights were cool. The woods surrounding her had come alive with life and beauty that mesmerized even the most seasoned warriors. The blonde never ceased to be amazed by the stunning scenery and Marek attempted to show her all the best places while they were out on their lessons.

Rather, under the guise of lessons. The Sky Girl knew it was important for her to keep learning about surviving, but it grew increasingly difficult with Marek’s inability to keep his hands and lips to himself (not that Clarke was complaining) and hunting was almost impossible when her eyes kept wandering over to the gorgeous young man.

They decided to not tell anyone about their relationship, mainly due to the fact that Marek was Indra’s son. The blonde wasn’t sure what the older woman would do if she discovered them, but she imagined Indra would be extremely displeased. The teenager had had very few interactions with the Chief of the village, but she knew that if it were completely up to Indra, Clarke and Wells would have been thrown out as soon as the hunter had been healed from his accident. However, the leader knew that Lexa’s approval of them meant that she had no reason to do so and instead, Clarke suspected, kept an eye on the Sky People in the village through a few of the underlings that worked for her.

On those cool and calm nights, when the day had been long and stressful, the Sky Girl liked to climb to the top of Sonja’s roof and stargaze. Some nights she would see if she could remember all the old world myths about the constellations or would think about all the people in her life, old and new, but most of the time, she would attempt to empty her mind. Her days were so packed with responsibilities that those nights on the roof were sparse and Clarke loved to take the rare moment and forget about everything that needed doing.

On one such night, the sky was so clear and bright that Clarke couldn’t stop herself from going to her usual spot, despite knowing she was going to have a busy day once the sun rose. The blonde had been lost in the awe-inspiring meteor shower that happened to be occurring when she heard someone clambering onto the roof. She reluctantly turned her eyes away from the astronomical show and saw Lincoln’s hulking frame pull itself up. She grinned, happy to see her friend. He had just recently returned from a three week stay at the outpost a mile from the village and she was excited he was back.

Lincoln laid his large body down next to the healer and placed his hands behind his head. “ _Heya_ _,_ Clarke.”

“Good evening, Lincoln. How was the outpost?”

The warrior snorted softly. “Boring.”

Clarke laughed at the annoyance that laced her friend’s tone. “That’s a good thing, Lincoln. Don’t tell me you were hoping for the _Maunon_ attack us.” The blonde expected a gentle teasing response or a rolling of eyes, but instead the atmosphere suddenly felt heavy with tension. She glanced at her friend and saw the man’s brow bunched together with worry. “Lincoln, what’s wrong?”

He went several moments before answering. “Do you remember the village that Nyko was visiting when you came to the ground?”

Clarke’s brow furrowed, confused at such a random question. “Yes, I do. Rippon had a sickness that killed three people, right?”

The warrior nodded solemnly. “Word just reached us: Reapers attacked there six days ago. Sixteen people died and ten were taken. There has not been a trace of the missing found, but most were young warriors barely days away from their _Badannes_.”

Clarke’s eyebrows shot up. She briefly wondered if the attack just happened to coincide with the village’s _Badannes_ , or Day of Allegiance, where all young men and woman in the village perform tasks or challenges given to them by their mentors. If they passed, they were welcomed into the village as adults and must swear to uphold the laws of the village and _Kongeda_ and defend the lives of those who live in their home. If the timing wasn’t a coincidence, then it seemed as if the Reapers chose to attack near one of the most celebrated days of the year which would demoralize those living in the surrounding area as well as sow fear among those who’s _Badannes_ was coming up.

“That’s terrible,” the blonde conveyed sincerely. Her memory of a Reaper tearing out a man’s throat flashed in her mind before she shook the image, and her fear, away. “Rippon is quite close to here. Is Indra worried?”

“Indra is always concerned about the _ripa_ , but yes, she is growing more troubled. This is not the first village to have been attacked recently. Just a few weeks ago, the Mountain Men clashed with warriors from a valley many miles from here. None of our people survived. It was a massacre.”

Clarke didn’t know what to say. Her heart went out to all those who died at the hands of such fearsome enemies—and she knew the Mountain Men must be fearsome if warriors like Lincoln shuddered at the thought of facing them—but what could she do for the people that she was growing to love and admire? It was in these moments of hearing of the horrors that the ground provided that Clarke believed that perhaps it was better that her own people remained in the sky. At least inside the Ark they were not hunted by mysterious slaughterers and cannibalistic kidnappers. Clarke pulled herself out of her head and laid a hand on Lincoln’s forearm and squeezed in an attempt to comfort him. The larger man laid his hand on top of hers and returned her gesture gratefully.

The healer’s thoughts churned in her head and she found herself wondering about a woman she hadn’t thought of in quite some time. “What about the Commander? When she was here last she told me that she was going to try and devise a strategy to fight the Mountain Men back in Polis.”

Lincoln turned on his side to face the blonde. “I am not sure when the Commander would be able to return. It would take some time to plan something as difficult as attacking the Fortress and even if she were to come up with a way to get inside the Mountain, it would be a while before she could gather enough warriors, supplies, and healers from all over the Coalition to make such an attack possible.”

“Do you think she can do it?”

Lincoln’s reply was almost immediate. “If any Commander could, it would be Lexa. She is the most competent leader in our people’s recent memory and her abilities as a warrior are only outmatched by her political savviness.”

Clarke let out a long sigh, thinking of a stubborn jaw and determined green eyes. “Whatever happens, a lot of people will probably die.” The younger girl’s tone was deeply troubled.

Many beats later, the darker skinned man spoke again, this time much more softly. “If she puts out a call for warriors, Marek will have to answer it.”

Blonde hair whipped around as the teenager faced her friend. “What?”

“He is part of the Commander’s army. If she does go to war with the Mountain Men soon, then Marek must join her forces as an archer,” he explained, his tone laced with sympathy and knowing.

Clarke felt her heart turn to ice at the thought of the boy she had grown so close to fighting for his life in combat. She didn’t even care that Lincoln suspected that more was happening between the hunter and the healer. “But he is Indra’s son. Surely he would be protected more so than others.”

Lincoln was shaking his head before she had finished speaking. “No, Marek would not allow his mother to dishonor him so much and Indra would be ashamed that her son would show such weakness in battle. They are from a proud line of warriors and going to battle would a way of showing that Marek is ready and able to continue the family tradition.”

Clarke’s mind was spinning a mile a minute with this news. Of course she had known that Marek was a part time archer. He had even explained his plan to join the army as a full time warrior, like Lincoln and Anya, once he had finished honing his students’ hunting skills. However, she hadn’t thought about what that would really mean. Tondc, being a larger village with better walls and protection, had not been the victim of an attack from either Reapers or Mountain Men since before Clarke and Wells had arrived. Her image of what it meant to be a warrior was occasionally leaving to the outpost for a few weeks and training a few times a week with the warriors that lived in the village. She had no concept of battle or war other than what she learned in history class. None of her people did.

“And you and Anya? You would all be leaving?” Clarke asked, her voice filled with worry and fear.

“Yes.”

Clarke sat up, becoming almost hysterical. “But you could all die! Why would you want to risk that? How can your village allow that?”

The warrior mimicked the teenager’s action and gazed at her in confusion. “Clarke, what is the matter?”

The blonde looked at her friend with obvious anger. “You just told me that you are ready to willingly leave your people; that you would just abandon them of your own volition. How could you think about doing that?”

Understanding dawned on Lincoln and understanding washed over his features. “Clarke,” he whispered gently.

Clarke couldn’t stop the harsh resentment from bubbling inside of her. “What?”

“This would not be like what happened to you and Wells.” Lincoln paused and appeared to be searching for the right words to say that would sooth his friend. “Would you not do anything for your people, to keep them safe, even if it meant getting hurt? Or dying? Because we will always be in danger until the Mountain Men are defeated.”

The healer ground her teeth together, knowing that Lincoln was right. The thoughts that had swirled in her head about how her people were safer in the sky than there on the ground with her were proof that Clarke already believed what her friend was saying.

The blonde sucked in a shuddering breath to calm herself. “I’m sorry, Lincoln, for losing my temper. I am just scared for everyone here. I’m becoming more attached to Tondc than I thought I would. I was forcibly torn from my own people and there is a very good chance that I will never see them again.” Clarke glanced up at the sky, automatically and futilely searching for the Ark, but only saw a meteor burn up in the sky’s atmosphere. “While no one can replace them, the relationships I’m forging here are helping me deal with the separation. The brewing war threatens to take you all from me and that frightens me more than you could imagine.”

Lincoln didn’t speak, seeming to know that there wasn’t anything he could do or say that would assuage his friend’s fears. Instead, he pulled Clarke into his arms for a tight, brief hug. “We are talented warriors, Clarke. And the Commander is a great leader. Have some faith in us.” Clarke nodded against his chest, taking in the offered comfort. “Besides, we have a very gifted healer with us. Perhaps she could come along and make sure those she cares about will not die.”

The Sky Girl’s mouth dropped open, not expecting Lincoln to say those words. The idea of her going to war was so ridiculous that she almost laughed out loud, but what if she could help save lives? She went so deep in thought, she barely registered Lincoln squeezing her shoulder and bidding her goodnight before climbing down from the roof.

To even entertain the idea of staying to go to war filled Clarke with great anxiety for many reasons, but one would mean speaking to Wells. He was already growing impatient to leave Tondc to find a way to contact the Ark. How could she even suggest staying until the battle against the Mountain Men was over? Her thoughts raced for a few hours and only the night’s chill drove her inside where she fell into an uneasy sleep. 

* * *

 

Clarke couldn’t stop thinking about Lincoln’s suggestion. For days she thought hard about it, the idea in the back of her mind while she went from wounded warrior to sick child or while she shopped in the market for Sonja. Marek had asked her a few times what was wrong, but she avoided answering as best she could. It was a conversation only for her and Wells.

The two Sky People had made it a habit to try and go out twice a week to the Inn they first stayed in when they landed on the ground. They would share a small pitcher of the sweet blackberry mead that the owner made now that the fruit was in season and a few dishes of the cook’s family recipes. Even when Clarke was upset with Wells, she only skipped one dinner, but missed her friend too much to do it again. Those moments spent together were, more often than not, the only time the two best friends were able to spend any time together, despite living in the same home. Clarke would be called away on an emergency or house call, out in the woods with Marek for a few days or running errands for Sonja. Wells, very often, was exhausted after working all day in the forge, especially in the summer heat, or spending time in the barracks helping the soldiers repair their weapons and armor. He would even make his own house calls to help residents with the more difficult tasks or repairs.

It was during one of their weekly dinners that Wells had Clarke in tears as she laughed at one of his stories about something Nati’s young daughter did while she was visiting the forge.

When Clarke finally pulled herself together, she took a generous sip of the sweet alcohol. “You were always better with kids than I was. Do you remember when I babysat last year for the Carpenters?”

Wells chuckled. “Didn’t they end up paying you to never babysit for them again? Or watch over any other kids?”

The blond felt herself flush slightly at the memory. “They didn’t pay me! But it was strongly suggested that I take a career with children off the list of future jobs. In my defense, their daughter was a little devil who purposefully set me up to fail.”

Wells raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Clarke, she was two.”

The teenage girl rolled her eyes and mumbled something unintelligible. Her best friend shook his head and a comfortable silence descended on their table. With full bellies and good spirits, Clarke felt that this was her best opportunity.

She took a deep breath and met her friend’s eyes. “Wells, there’s been something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about—something that I have been trying to figure out how to say these last few days.” Familiar brown irises became concerned as his brow bunched up.

The Sky Boy straightened in his chair slightly at the serious tone. “What is it, Clarke? You know you can talk to me about anything.” Clarke nodded, knowing that had always been true of their friendship for their whole lives.

“As you’ve probably heard, attacks from the Mountain Men have increased in the Clans lately,” she began.

Wells nodded solemnly. “I’ve heard the rumors.”

“Before she left, Lexa—the Commander—told me that she was going back to Polis to try and find a way to defeat the Mountain Men once and for all,” the blonde continued. “It would be something that would require a huge army from all over the _Kongeda_ to do and it could happen at any time.” Wells smiled slightly. “What? Why are you smiling?”

“Because I know where you are going with this.”

The Sky Girl’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You do?”

When he spoke, Wells’ expression was almost one of insult with his belief in how obvious what Clarke’s point was. “Of course I do and I agree completely. We should speak to Indra as soon as possible.”

Clarke felt relief course through her body. While she was shocked at how quickly her friend was on board with her. “Really? I mean, I thought I would have to sit here for an hour trying to convince you.”

Wells snorted. “What would make you think that? I’ve been telling you that it’s time to leave for over a month now.”

Clarke went stock still as her brain processed what Wells was saying.

_Leave?_

The blonde voiced her question to her best friend, confusion evident in her tone. “Well, yes. With war brewing, now is the best time to leave before we get caught in the crossfire. We’ll have to be extra careful with the Mountain Men attacking more than usual, but once we’re clear of the Woods Clan, I doubt they’ll be much of a threat.”

“Wells, I wasn’t talking about leaving.” Something in her friend’s eyes flashed before he asked her elaborate. “I know you don’t want to get caught up in the war, but the people of Tondc have been incredibly generous to us. I don’t want to leave them when we could help them the most in their hour of need.”

Wells’ face darkened with anger. “What are you saying, Clarke? You want to stay and fight in a war that is not ours to get involved in?”

The blonde felt a ball of worry grow in her chest. She knew this is how he would react and she needed to placate him while also trying to convince him. “Of course not to fight in, we would both be killed. But why not use the skills we’ve been honing for the past four months and help the _Kongeda_. We would travel with the army, but you could make and repair weapons and armor while I help patch up anyone who gets hurt fighting.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You cannot be serious, Clarke. This is not our problem.”

“People we know will be fighting, Wells! Lincoln and Anya and Marek and Indra. All the soldiers that you help. They could die in this battle,” the Sky Girl insisted, annoyance her friend’s ungratefulness bubbled up inside of her. “How can you be so unconcerned with what is happening? The _Trikru_ have taken us in, protected us, fed us, taught us, given us jobs, and compensated us. We don’t pay taxes, we don’t fight in their military, and we are almost completely unnecessary since they have their own healer and blacksmith. Other than scarcely lightening the load, we are of no use to them. I could even argue that we are in some ways a burden. And yet, when we could be the most help to them, you want to scamper off because it’s not our fight? When the people I have grown to care about are at risk of dying? I don’t want to abandon them to their possible death when there was something I could do about it.”

Clarke’s chest was practically heaving by the end of her impassioned speech. Her latent resentment towards Wells for dumping the fate of their own lives in her hands combined with the fury that Wells could be so callous about the lives of the people who had taken them in had erupted and she was shaking with anger.

Wells stared at her with a cool, unaffected expression, almost as if Clarke was arguing about weather patterns. It eerily reminded the blonde of his father.

It was several moments before the teenage boy spoke. “Do you so easily forget our own people, Clarke?” The Sky Girl blinked, not expecting that reply, but Wells continued. “I am grateful for the generosity of Tondc and its residents. I always will be, but they are not our people. Our people are orbiting this godforsaken planet with no knowledge that it’s survivable. Don’t they deserve to know that they don’t have to be trapped inside that death box any longer?” Emotion, one that the blonde couldn’t decide if it was anger or sadness, flicked across her friend’s face as he leaned forward. “What about Abby, Clarke?”

The healer’s heart was gripped with sorrow at the mention of her mother. She glared at Wells, already suspecting what he was about to say. “What about her?”

“How can you sit here and passionately argue about staying with these people you barely know while your mother grieves alone on the Ark?” he asked, overwhelming sadness coating his tone. “My father, your mother—they have no one else. They are alone, mourning the death of the last of their family and you wish to prolong the agony of our loved ones so that you can play warrior with your new friends?”

Wells’ words sliced through Clarke’s chest and the pain they left in their wake was almost crippling. The last image she had of her mother, her face twisted in anguish as she watched her daughter plummet to the planet they believed to be dead, flashed before Clarke’s eyes. Was she being selfish? Wells was right, that to delay finding a way to contact the Ark was only forcing her mother to continue to be consumed by grief and loneliness.

However, she also saw Marek, Lincoln, and Anya’s bloodied and dead bodies lying on the ground somewhere in the forest and it strengthened her resolve. “Our parents are alone for now, but they’re not dead. They are alive to feel that grief, but those we care about here won’t be feeling anything if they die and we didn’t do anything to help them. My mother taught me that as a healer, we should do what we can to save people. What would she say if I allowed so many to die only because I missed her? That is not who I am—that’s not the kind of daughter she raised.” 

Wells’ jaw visibly clenched as he deliberated over what to say. “Clarke, you say that’s how your mom raised you, but as a doctor, she surely must have told you that sometimes people die and you can’t always save everyone.” The blonde opened her mouth to reply, but Wells raised his hand and stopped her. “I am a product of my father’s upbringing, too, and he taught me that sometimes, the needs of the many come before the needs of the few. Sure, you may be able to save one or two, maybe even ten people down here, but at what cost? What about our people? The Ark is over one hundred years old, Clarke. How many times did it almost fall apart or the equipment in Farm Station fail or the water manufacturing machines stop working? At any moment, the entire thing could fall out of the sky. That’s over twenty-five hundred people dead. The sooner we let them know that they don’t have to face those dangers anymore, the better the chances our people have of surviving to the next century increase.”

Clarke stared at her friend. Everything he said made sense. Those on the Ark are alive now, but if one thing goes wrong on the stations, the entirety of their people would be obliterated. Could she be the one who is wrong? As she was lost in thought, Wells told her to think it over and they’ll discuss it again in a few days, then left. 

The blonde didn’t move for several hours, drowning her thoughts in mead.

* * *

“Are you okay, Clarke?”

Marek’s voice pulled the Sky Girl out of her thoughts as she remembered where she was. The hunter had promised days ago to take Clarke to his favorite waterfall to sketch and it was even more beautiful than he had boasted. The artist inside her reveled in the beauty of the falls as the noonday sun shone brightly on the water. However, her notebook lay empty on her lap as she was unable to put her heart into capturing the image.

With a deep sigh, the blonde closed the journal and set it aside. “I’m sorry, Marek. I am far away from here.”

The older boy looked at the healer with concern and moved to wrap his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. She breathed in Marek, the scent soothing her restless mind for the first time in the two days since she’s argued with her best friend. “What is wrong? Can I help?” Clarke shook her head, not wanting to speak about it as all she had done was overthink everything. She needed a break and told Marek as such. He chuckled at her wish. “Why did you not say so sooner, _fisa_?”

The hunter stood, helping a taken aback Clarke rise. “What are you doing?”

“Distracting you, as you asked. Trust me,” he replied, the smile on his face infectious and Clarke felt her heart, heavy with the weight of decisions that needed to be made, grow lighter at the simple action.

She followed Marek towards the edge of the water where he took off his shoes and his shirt. Clarke’s mouth went dry and her heart almost flew from her chest as she took in his rippling muscles and large expanse of naked dark skin that was displayed before her. The same heat that flushed her cheeks began pooling between her legs and she momentarily forgot to breathe.

Marek looked back, leaving only his pants on and smiled shyly at the aroused expression on Clarke’s face that she couldn’t hide if she wanted to. The small, almost embarrassed grin was so endearing that the blonde stepped forward and kissed the hunter gently and slowly, as if reassuring him. Her hands barely grazed the bare shoulders and arms that held her, feeling the slight shudder that went through Marek at her touch.

When they pulled away from each other, Marek’s dilated eyes held an emotion that Clarke was too nervous to try and interpret. She cleared her throat to push down the haze of her attraction and took a half a step back. “That’s a pretty good distraction.”

The hunter laughed not unkindly. “While I am glad, that was not what I meant to do. We need to go into the water and I did not want all of my clothes to become wet.”

The blonde felt a different set of nerves course through her at the thought of going into the water. “I can’t swim, Marek.”

He squeezed Clarke’s hand reassuringly. “I remember. Trust me?”

The Sky Girl’s nod was almost immediate and she took off the loose linen shirt she was wearing and, her face flushing as she did so, pulled her pants off so she was standing in only a tank top and her underwear. Marek’s slow, mesmerized gaze at her body chased away her blush as she felt herself become filled with confidence upon receiving such an admiring look.

The hunter held out his hand with a grin and guided Clarke into the water as they slowly made their way towards the falls. The blonde had only stepped ankle deep into a body of water since landing on the Earth, but now that she was waist deep, she felt her nerves slowly slip away into the refreshingly cool liquid. She made a note to learn how to swim soon, but the thought left her soon as she the dark skinned boy pulled her beneath the waterfall.

Clarke’s eyes widened when she saw the opening of a small cave about ten meters up the stone wall. She turned to Marek, a gleam of curiosity and excitement in her blue irises. “Where does that go?”

The archer gave her a rakish grin. “Want to find out?”

She eagerly nodded and carefully watched what edges the older boy grasped as he scaled the wall. It took a few tries to get off the ground and she had a few close calls, but the two made it to the mouth of the cave several minutes later. There was little sunlight that streamed through the waterfall, but, to Clarke’s amazement, the cave was lit with luminescent cave moss, similar to the plants in the Glowing Den. Dense moss covered a large expanse of the floor of the cave and crawled up back wall.

The cave itself was small, barely large enough for three people to stand in, but the shining flora and the light bouncing off the wet stone with the sound of the waterfall made it a rare and beautiful sight.

The Sky Girl turned to the hunter and playfully slapped his chest. “Why didn’t you show me this sooner?”

Marek pouted and rubbed his chest good-naturedly. “I was going to after you were finished sketching, but then you asked for a distraction.”

“This is amazing, Marek. Thank you,” the healer said sincerely.

A small smile pulled at his lips and his gaze filled with wonder as slowly ran his fingers through the blonde hair that seemed to glow from the reflection of the radiant plants. “I would show you all the beautiful things in my world if I could, _niron_.” 

Clarke’s swelled at the endearment and she didn’t even think as she embraced Marek, kissing him with the passion that was always simmering beneath her skin whenever she was in his presence. The hunter pulled her tight against him as he returned her ardent actions enthusiastically. The younger girl’s skin felt like it was on fire when he gently ran his hands up and down her back beneath her tank top. 

Clarke pulled away, her breath heavy and blue eyes darkened and pupils blown wide. Staring into hazy brown irises filled with adoration and three words unspoken threaded between them both. Hesitating for only a second, Clarke gently pushed Marek until he was lying on the soft moss that protected him against the hard cave floor. 

He visibly gulped as his eyes widened with hope and arousal. He spoke her name in a whisper, a question and a prayer. The blonde didn’t say anything, but answered him with a kiss as she lay on top of him. To the sound of the waterfall and under the radiant light surrounding them, the healer and the hunter made love.

* * *

 

“I am quite sure I will never be able to have my fill of you.” 

Marek’s words were spoken as Clarke slowly kissed her way across his neck and shoulders. She chuckled breathily as she rested her head against the strong chest of her lover, listening to the steady heartbeat beneath his ribcage. Hours had passed since they had returned from the cave and the older boy had quickly built a lean-to for the two of them. They continued to make love into the early evening hours and the sun was only just beginning to slowly set. 

She smiled as she traced the tattoos he had received on his _Badannes_ two years ago. “I hope you do, momentarily at least. I need a break.” 

Clarke listened to his rumbling chuckle as her eyes drifted shut, sleep calling to her. She barely registered Marek gently kissing her head as he whispered to her. “Rest, _niron_.” 

To the blonde, it had only felt like a few minutes since she closed her eyes, but seeing the orange glow of the sun barely above the horizon told her it had been at least an hour. She was confused as to why she was awake when she heard someone speaking, their voice growing louder and louder. 

“This is how you choose to spend your time, _skat_? While the danger of the Mountain is higher than ever, when your people are on the verge of a great war, you gallivant off into the woods with a girl? An outsider, at that?” 

Clarke’s eyes widened as she sat up, making sure her naked skin was covered by the blanket inside the lean-to. Her heart sped up as she realized she recognized the voice: Indra. Clarke scrambled to get all of her clothes, but her shirt and shoes, to her utter mortification, were outside the protection of the shelter. Steeling herself, Clarke wrapped herself in the blanket and stepped outside.

If she had been shocked before, nothing prepared Clarke for what she saw as she exited the lean-to. Expecting to only see Indra scolding her son, the healer felt the blood drain from her face as she saw Wells and Anya standing inside the camp. Wells looked so furious, his wrath radiating off his body from twenty feet away, that Clarke couldn’t even remember what she had come outside to do.

She was pulled from her disbelief when she saw Anya holding her clothes out for the blonde to take. With trembling hands, Clarke turned away and pulled her shirt and shoes on as quickly as possible.

When the sound of blood rushing in her ears ceased, Clarke heard was Indra and Marek were saying to each other. “It is not like that, _nomon_ ,” Marek insisted. “I have been teaching the Sky Girl about surviving, just as I have told you I was. She has becoming quite talented with the bow and—”

Indra wouldn’t hear anymore. “Enough. I will not stand here listening to you gush about some outsider after finding her in your arms. A few hours ago, we received word that the Commander is on her way to Tondc and has called upon the warriors of the _Kongeda_ to mass outside our village. We have one week.”

Marek look stunned at the news. “So soon?”

“Not soon enough,” Anya inserted. “The Mountain Men have been attacking with much more frequency and ferociously than ever before. We think it is because they realize that the Commander is planning to move against them. We must strike hard and soon.”

As Clarke listened to the warriors speak, she glanced at Wells again, who had not taken his eyes off of her since she finished dressing. “What are you doing out here, Wells?”

“I came to make sure you were okay. The Mountain Men attacked an outpost near Tondc’s garrison.”

Clarke’s eyes widened in horror at the news. “What happened?”

“It wasn’t bad. Indra thinks it was just them testing the defenses. Only three died.”

“Lincoln?”

“He’s fine.”

Relief flooded through Clarke, but it was only a momentary reprieve. Wells ground his teeth together as he stepped forward to address the blonde. “What were you thinking?” The healer had no words for her friend. She had never seen him so angry and, combined with the surprise of being caught, couldn’t string two words together in her defense. “For weeks, I have been telling you it’s time to leave. Time to go out on our own to try and find a way to contact the Ark, our families, Clarke! Every time you evaded me, promised me just a little while longer, swore that we would be leaving soon, but never giving me an answer to when.” 

“Wells—” 

The Sky Boy continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I figured you were doing what you always do, attacking a task with everything you had and not stopping until you had perfected whatever you were trying to accomplish. But this? This is what you’ve been doing? Fucking some native while my father grieves the death of his still breathing son?”

Clarke’s nostrils flared in anger at her friend’s words. She stepped forward until there was barely a foot of space between them as he poked him hard in the chest. “You, Wells Abraham Jaha, do not get to criticize how I spend my time. Not since you gave up and put both of our lives in my hands along because you were afraid of getting a little dirty. And you watch what you say about Marek. He is a human, Wells, not just some ‘native’, whatever that is supposed to mean.” 

“I don’t care what you think he is, all I know is what he actually is: a distraction. How long have you actually been ready to leave, but have been putting it off—how long have you been lying to me—just to keep spending time with him? What happened to doing whatever it takes to contact our people? I didn’t realize that meant screwing the first guy you met down here.” 

Clarke opened her mouth to argue back, but Marek interjected. “Back off, Wells. I do not care that you have been friends your whole lives, I will not let you speak to Clarke like that.”

The younger boy turned his wrath to the hunter. “You stay out of this, asshole. This is between me and Clarke.”

Marek placed his large body between the two friends, looking down at Wells with patient anger. “I will not let you talk to Clarke this way. We will discuss this further in the safety of the village.”

Anya chose then to speak, as well. “I must agree. This arguing could be—”

Her words were suddenly cut off as something from beyond their sightline flew towards them and landed in the middle of the camp. Clarke looked at the metal canister a few feet from her in confusion, but glanced up when two more landed nearby. Suddenly, gas erupted from all three objects and began to fill the area.

Anya pulled her swords from her back immediately. “Mountain Men!”

Clarke’s heart plummeted to the core of the Earth as fear filled her entire body. She went to grab Marek’s hand, but the gas had already begun to take effect. She felt her head grow heavy and her body slow down. She hadn’t even realized she had fallen to the ground until she saw the canopy of trees swimming above her.

“NO!” cried a voice, but the blonde’s muddled brain couldn’t figure out who it belonged to.

The last thing Clarke saw before she lost consciousness was a person in a full body HAZMAT suit, breathing heavily through their oxygen mask as they stared down at her. “We got the children from the Ark. Radio the President.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an evil, evil person. I know ;) Let me know what you think!! 
> 
> As always, find me on Tumblr: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Heya: Hello  
> Maunon: Mountain Men  
> Ripa: Reapers  
> Badannes: Day of Allegiance  
> Kongeda: Coalition  
> Fisa: Healer  
> Niron: Loved on; lover  
> Skat: Boy  
> Nomon: Mother


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I took so long to update. Life's a bitch and so is inspiration. I'm not sure when the next update will be but thank you to everyone who is still interested in this story. You're all so amazing :D
> 
> Quick note:
> 
> So, this chapter, as you can probably guess, will be about Clarke's time in the Mountain. Obviously, the chapters leading up to this one have been very different from the show, but Chapter Nine will have many very familiar lines in it since we are now semi-canon with "The 100". However, because Clarke doesn't have the 48 with her, situations will be clearly different from the show, so I hope it's still going to be interesting for you all to read and not just a copy of the moments she is in Mount Weather that's canon. Also, this is un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine.  
> With that in mind, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!!

Chapter Nine

The silence disturbed Clarke more than anything else. More so than the sterile white walls, the stiff bed, or the artificial air circulating the room. She paced the room like a caged tiger, trying to push down her fear and think of a way out of the blindingly white room. The lack of sound was not something she was used to, on either the Ark or the ground. On the stations, there was always the hum of machinery in the background. If that whirring stopped, everyone would start to panic that the century old space station was finally going to give out and kill them all. On the planet’s surface, Clarke had grown accustomed to the different sounds that assaulted her ears night and day: birds singing, the wind in the trees, and the hustle and bustle of Tondc. Her whole life, there was always noise of some kind.

Now, there was nothing and it made her ears ring uncomfortably. Her clean cage was soundproofed and it made it difficult for her to think. Clarke, for the umpteenth time since waking up with weary eyes and a spinning head, glowered at the camera that was pointed at her above the door. After an untold amount of time screaming at the device, she had worn herself out and collapsed on the bed and fell into an uneasy sleep as the drugs continued to work their way out of her system. Now, however, her head was clear and she was ready to figure out how to leave the room.

Clarke had just begun to look around for something she could use to break the glass in the painting when the door hissed open. The blonde spun around and faced…someone. Clothed in white HAZMAT suit, a black reflective shield on their face prevented Clarke from seeing who it was that had captured her.

The Sky Girl’s mind was whirling with confusion so much so that missed what the muffled voice said. The person stood there, seemingly expectantly. “Clarke, I asked how you are feeling.”

The fear that flooded the blonde upon hearing this stranger speak her name drove the blonde to respond aggressively. Surging forward, the sudden movement had rendered her capturer still from shock, but they were brought back to reality as Clarke shoved them against the wall.

“Clarke, what are you—”

They never finished the sentence as Clarke grabbed the mask and tore it off. Long black hair spilled out and frightened brown eyes met determined blue ones. The sixteen year old didn’t give the girl, who appeared to be around her age, another chance to speak as her hand found its way around the girl’s throat.

Clarke didn’t squeeze to hard, but hard enough to assert her control over the other girl. “Where am I? What am I doing here? Where are my friends?”

“Clarke, please, we’re not going to hurt you,” the stranger said, fear causing her to whimper ever so slightly.

Blue eyes glared dangerously. “You’re going to take me to my friends and we’re going to leave.”

A painful gasped escaped the lips of the brunette and tears filled her eyes. “You’re hurting me.”

Clarke pulled back slightly and glanced at the neck she was holding. She saw something strange beneath her fingers and she moved them ever so slightly. What she saw made her gasp and pull away. Somehow, her hand print was slightly burned into the flesh of the young woman.

While the blonde gaped at what she had unintentionally done, the girl ran from the room and not a few seconds later, a flashing red light filled the room and hallway outside of it, accompanied by a deafening alarm.

“Warning. Radiation breach. Warning. Radiation breach. Warning. Radiation breach.”

Clarke tried to think through the screeching of a computerized voice as she exited the room. The other girl was at the end of the hallway, desperately pressing a button to what appeared to be an elevator. The Sky Girl began walking towards her, but halted when the doors opened a group of soldier heavily armed with assault rifles came bursting out. Clarke counted six gunmen who trained their weapons at her.

The blonde raised her hands in surrender, confusion, and terror coursed through her veins. “What the hell is happening?”

From behind wall of soldiers, a tall elderly man dressed in a suit and tie strode from the elevator and pressed an ID tag on a scanner on a nearby wall. The alarm was immediately silenced.

The older man took a step forward, but remained behind his wall of guns. “Now, Clarke, there is no reason to panic. No one here will hurt you.” The Sky Girl almost snorted at the man’s statement, but refused to take her eyes off the guns trained on her. The stranger, who seemed to be in charge, stared at Clarke with a strange curiosity. “Lower your weapons.”

One of the men startled at the order. “But, sir—”

“I said lower them, Lieutenant.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the soldiers dropped the muzzles of their guns. The old man then walked forward, past his men, and faced Clarke, who had lowered her hands. He was quickly followed by the Lieutenant.

“I am sorry about this, Clarke. This was not how our first meeting was meant to happen.” The blonde stared at the older man, unsure of what to say or do in that moment. One wrong word and she could be killed before she finished speaking. The older man continued speaking when it was clear that the teenager wasn’t going to respond. “I’m sorry Clarke, where are my manners? My name is Dante Wallace. I am the President of Mount Weather.”

Clarke felt her blood turn cold with terror. Mount Weather. No one had ever escaped once they were taken inside the fortress. Quickly assessing the people that the hardened warriors of Tondc feared more than anything, she could understand some of their fear. The guns alone would mean that the _Kongeda_ was outmatched.

While Clarke was taking in the information she was given, the Lieutenant’s eyes raked over her frame, seeming unimpressed by her. “Not much of a talker, is she?”

The President hummed in agreement. “A skill picked up from the savages, no doubt.” Anger coursed through Clarke, realizing he was referring to the _Kongeda_. Dante must have seen it and gave her a warm smile. “You have nothing to fear here, Clarke. We have no desire to hurt you or Wells.”

The blonde’s eyes hardened at her friend’s name. “Where is Wells?”

“He’s safe,” the President replied. “Just like you are.” He turned to the soldier next to him. “Call Dr. Tsing and let her know Clarke is on her way. We’ll have her finish the decontamination process and then she will attend to Maya.”

The man nodded and turned to speak into his radio quietly. Clarke didn’t take her eyes off of Dante. “What about my other friends?”

The older man’s brow scrunched in confusion. “Other friends?”

“Yes, the ones Wells and I were with before you kidnapped us. Marek, Anya, and Indra.”

The Lieutenant injected himself back into the conversation now that his task had been complete. “I believe she means the Outsiders, sir.”

The President nodded in understanding. “Ah, yes. We left them in the woods where you were. We apologize for the way we rescued you, but we did not want to risk any fatalities taking on the Outsiders.”

“Rescued me?”

“Of course,” Dante insisted. “We wanted to get both of you out of the clutches of the savages as soon as we could, but you and Wells had never ventured out of the village together and we hadn’t even found you until a few weeks ago.”

Clarke felt her stomach churn with rage listening to him speak so horribly about the people of Tondc. She wanted to put him in his place, but was still very aware that she was outnumbered and outgunned.

Instead, she continued to try and get information.

“You mean to tell me that you risked the lives of your soldiers to ‘save’ two teenagers you had never met before?” she asked, unable to stop the skepticism at the idea.

Dante smiled charmingly. “I would hardly call it a risk. The Outsiders are fierce, to be sure, but hardly a match for my men. As for saving you, we felt it was our duty to give you the opportunity to see that there are people like you here on Earth.”

Clarke stared at the man, unsure of what she was specifically looking for, but something to show that he was deceiving her. “How do you know where Wells and I are from?”

“We will go over that shortly. For now, you will see our Chief of Medicine and finish the decontamination process,” Dante stated. “I shall meet you when you are finished. The Lieutenant here will stay with you in the meantime.”

Clarke wanted to continue questioning the President, but bit her tongue. She needed to be patient. Angering these people would only prevent her from getting any more information.

The Medical Wing was, like the rest of the mountain, was made of concrete, rock, and hollowed out in the shape of a tunnel. There had been so many turns and twists that Clarke, even having grown up on the Ark with all its levels and corridors, had no idea where they were.

The Chief of Medicine was a seemingly friendly doctor named Lorelei Tsing. She politely asked Clarke to take a seat on one of the beds while she attended to Maya first.

With the eyes of a doctor in training, Clarke watched the process Maya was being put through and it thoroughly confused the blonde.

“What’s wrong with her? How did my hand do that? I wasn’t trying to really hurt her,” Clarke confessed, tearing her eyes away from the handprint that had been seared into the teenager’s flesh.

Dr. Tsing didn’t look up from her work, but her actions were practiced, as if she had performed this treatment countless times. “Maya has received radiation burns from coming into direct contact with your contaminated skin.”

“Radiation burns?”

“Yes. Nuclear radiation from the bombs that went off a hundred years ago,” Tsing explained. “Surely you must know that it still permeates the planet even after so long.”

Clarke’s mind whirled at this information. “The people on the Ark believe that, but when I came to the ground and am still alive after three months, I haven’t shown any signs of radiation poisoning.”

“Ah yes, Wells mentioned your mother was a doctor. You would recognize the symptoms, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes and neither one of us as experienced a single sign of it.”

Clarke watched as Tsing attached some tubes into a port that seemed to be surgically connected to Maya’s chest. The older woman then pressed a button and Clarke watched with fascination as a dark red substance flowed from a machine on the wall behind Maya’s bed and through the tubes in Maya’s arm. It seemed to be a blood filtering or transfusion of some kind.

Tsing continued the conversation as she finished up filling out Maya’s chart. “You wouldn’t, being born in space.”

Her words had Clarke tear her eyes away from Maya and to the doctor in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You don’t need to worry about nuclear radiation poisoning, Clarke, because you and your ancestors on the Ark have genetically mutated to adapt to a stronger kind of radiation,” Tsing explained.

It took Clarke seconds to realize what she meant. “Solar radiation.”

Tsing smiled, clearly pleased Clarke figured it out. She had finished with Maya and brought over some needles and pills to give Clarke. “Precisely. You and those who have been living in space all these years are unaffected by the nuclear radiation on Earth. You’re luck you were born when you were. If you had come to earth when you’re grandparents were young, you probably wouldn’t have survived. Genes are fascinating in how little time it takes to adapt to change. However, because those of us who were born and raised in this bunker had no chance to be exposed to radiation, allowing our genes to mutate and adapt, we are vulnerable to the radiation.”

Clarke’s mind was spinning at a mile a minute, trying to come to grips with what that meant. “My people can live down here? Survive?”

“I believe so, Clarke,” Tsing said, her grin infectious.

“That is, if we can get ahold of them,” came a voice from the doorway. Clarke jumped. She had forgotten that Emerson was waiting for her to be finished with her examination.

“Get ahold of them?” Clarke asked.

“Here, take these and I’ll give you the last of you shots,” Tsing stated. Clarke dry swallowed the pills, recognizing the labels for radiation poisoning.

“President Wallace will fill you in more when you meet with him for dinner,” Emerson explained.

Clarke winced slightly as Tsing stuck the needles in her. “Meeting him for dinner?”

“Yes. He wants to discuss some things with you. I am to take you to the dining room when we’re finished here.”

“Will Wells be there?”

Emerson nodded. Clarke felt relief flood through her knowing she would soon see a familiar, friendly face. Her attention was brought back to Tsing as she spoke again.

“I need you to come back in a few days to take the last of your medication, but you’re good to go for now.”

Clarke stood up and was about to follow Emerson out when she glanced at Maya, who hadn’t looked at or spoken to her since their scuffle. Clarke felt a bit guilty for attacking her, knowing she hadn’t had any ill intentions toward the blonde.

“Maya,” Clarke said. “I’m sorry for attacking you. I was frightened and alone. I never meant to hurt you, though.”

Maya briefly glanced at Clarke and nodded once before looking away again. Clarke took it for what it was and left the Medical Wing.

As the two of them wound their way through the Mountain, the teenager couldn’t help but feel a sense of claustrophobia creep through her. She had grown up with the open, emptiness of space on the Ark and had grown used to the endless blue sky during the last few months on the ground. The cold, dank walls of Mount Weather unsettled her and made her skin crawl.

They passed only a few people in the hallways, all who looked at Clarke like she was an alien. Emerson noticed her discomfort.

“Sorry about the stares, but we don’t get many visitors here.” He smiled in what Clarke suspected was supposed to be a reassuring and charming, but the blonde sensed something behind it. There was a slight malice in his eyes she had seen before in the men who kidnapped her and Wells. She didn’t say anything in reply and was spared any more small talk as they reached the dining room.

It wasn’t very large, but it was the most open room Clarke had been in yet. There were long tables in several rows that were filled with people eating and talking underneath Old World flags hanging up from the ceiling. In the back of the room was a table on top of a raised platform. There she saw Dante and Mountain Men she didn’t recognize, but her focus went straight to Wells who was sitting next to the President.

“Wells!” she cried out. The dining room went silent, but she ignored them. Her best friend glanced up and a grin immediately filled his face as he stood. The two teenagers ran to each other and hugged each other desperately. Clarke had never been so happy to see him. “Are you okay?”

Wells laughed as they released their embrace. “I am perfectly fine, Clarke. President Wallace and his people have treated me very well. I was released yesterday.”

“Why wasn’t I released when you were? We’ve been on the ground for the same length of time.”

Wells’ smile dropped slightly. “Dr. Tsing suspects it’s because you’ve spent some time in glowing dens. They have a slightly higher amount of radiation than anywhere else.”

His response starkly reminded Clarke of what had happened right before they had been captured and she flushed brightly.

“Wells, about Marek and I—” she started, but Wells raised a hand to stop her.

“It’s fine, Clarke. Don’t worry about it.”

The blonde stared at her friend strangely. “Don’t worry about it? You were really upset, Wells.”

“And I’m saying it doesn’t matter. Everything is going to be okay and we can just forget about it,” Wells insisted.

Clarke opened her mouth to disagree, but shut it when Dante approached them with a warm chuckle.

“I am happy to see such an enthusiastic reunion. See, I told you, Clarke. Wells is perfectly fine,” he stated, clapping her best friend on the shoulder. Wells smiled happily. “Come, sit with us. Tonight’s dinner is one of my favorites.”

Clarke barely heard the President as he prattled on about the different kinds of food available and was busy analyzing the room. Something she missed before was how it was guarded. There was a door off to the far right that had one guard with an assault rifle standing in front of it.

Before she could form a question in her mind on what could be behind the door, Clarke was distracted when she be became aware that a hand was being held out in front of her. She glanced up and saw a man she knew she hadn’t met yet. He stood tall and upright, the chin on his square jaw rose ever with just the slightest air of arrogance. He smiled in what might have been charmingly or friendly, but the gruesome scar on his twisted it in a way that gave Clarke chills. Alarms immediately blared inside Clarke’s mind, giving her pause before she grasped it with a quick shake.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that,” she said, realizing she missed his introduction.

“This is Cage, my son. He’s the one who coordinated your rescue from the Outsiders,” Dante explained, the pride evident in his tone.

Cage pulled his shoulders back ever so slightly, his smile turning smug. He clearly expected gratitude or praise, neither of which Clarke was inclined to give him.

Instead, she gave him an almost pained, fake smile. “Nice to meet you, Cage.” She could feel Wells’ shock at her attitude, but she ignored him.

“Let’s eat now. I’m sure you’re starving,” Dante said, either oblivious or ignoring the tension. Cage coolly sized Clarke up and immediately dismissed her.

“I apologize, Dad, but you must excuse me. I have other business I must attend to,” he said, not sounding the least bit sorry.

“Of course.”

Clarke sat at the table with Dante and Wells, but her eyes remained fixed on Cage. He had, instead of walking out where Clarke came in, made his way to the guarded door where Dr. Tsing and Emerson were waiting for him. They conversed very shortly before walking through the door.

“Dante,” Wells said, pulling Clarke back to those she shared a table with, “I know you’ve only just met Clarke, but I was wondering if we could discuss contacting the Ark.”

Clarke’s heart sped up at the idea.

“Of course, Wells. You and Clarke have been separated from your people for quite some time and must be eager to see them again,” Dante replied, his tone compassionate and understanding.

Clarke was completely ignoring her food in favor of the conversation. “Do you have the technology to contact them?”

Dante paused and wiped his mouth daintily with his napkin. “We do.”

Clarke and Wells grinned at each other. Happiness and impatience gripped Clarke in equal measure. “When can we call them?”

The blonde’s heart fell when she saw Dante heave a great sigh, as if he was weighed down by a heavy burden. “Unfortunately, not as soon as you would like, I imagine.”

Wells and Clarke’s faces fell at the news.

“What? Why not?” Wells demanded.

“You must understand my position here,” Dante stated patiently. “I am responsible for the safety of every single person in this bunker. I cannot, in good conscious, call up people who are equal to us in tech and weaponry, but also outnumber us five to one. You and Wells seem like very nice people, but I simply can’t invite an unknown force to our location. Not when it could mean the end of my people.”

Clarke fixed him with a hard look. “You seem to be doing just fine fighting against the _Kongeda_.”

If Dante was insulted by Clarke’s bluntness, he didn’t show it. Instead he laughed. “Sticks and stones against guns and bombs, my dear. The Outsiders are certainly ferocious, but as I said before, hardly a match against my men.”

“Our people wouldn’t attack yours. What reason would they have? You have saved two of the leaders’ children and provided a safe place for us to live,” Wells pointed out.

“I would like to believe you, Wells, but I simply refuse to bet the life of my people on the word of a sixteen year old,” Dante stated with finality. “We have come too far and survived too much to invite possible extinction into our home.”

“So what can we do to gain your trust?” Clarke asked. She could understand where he was coming from, but something about this didn’t sit right with her.

_Why bother ‘rescuing’ us if he sees us as possible threats?_ Clarke couldn’t answer her own question, but she made it a point try and find a way to dig deeper into Mount Weather.

“For now, just stay with us here. Get to know us and we’ll get to know you. If in time you prove trustworthy, we will discuss contacting your people,” Dante answered.

Clarke took that as the end of the subject and acquiesced. She spent the remainder of the meal in almost total silence taking in everything around her while Wells cozied up to the President with well-versed speech that only the Chancellor’s son would be practiced. With her best friend unknowingly distracting Wallace, Clarke took that time to come up with a quasi-plan. Patiently observe Mount Weather and figure out the Mountain Men’s motives, secrets, and if there is any way out of the fortress.


	10. Author's note

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry I've been so absent in all my updates (it's not just this story I'm neglecting). I am from the US and in less than 2 months I will be leaving to move to Ireland for a year for graduate school. I have been frantically running around these last few months getting ready while working as much as possible to save up for the year. I have no idea what my schedule will be like during the school year, but I imagine it will be very busy. If I get a chance to update CWTS, I of course will. Thank you to every single one of my readers and to everyone who has commented or left a kudos. It really does warm my heart to know that some people like my writing. I've had an amazing time exploring my version of this world and I don't plan on completely abandoning this story. I will be back.

Cheers!

just.a.pleb.les

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr link: [the-gayest-pathfinder](http://the-gayest-pathfinder.tumblr.com/)


End file.
